Begining of An End
by Tate Icasa
Summary: First part of a Trilogy. The could be the begining of the end of Xana, until things get too complicated for our friends. Or do they? First Season Based. Rated to be safe.
1. Additions I

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Key: Complete Scene change

_Lyoko_

Earth

Code Lyoko: Additions

By. Tate Icasa

"But _daddy,_" Whined Elisabeth 'Sissi' Delmas.

"No 'but daddies'," her father, principal of Kadic Academy said. "I've already made my decision." he sighed. "I just think it would be good for you to stay at the school this time."

Sissi opened her mouth to argue, but something caught her eye. It appeared to be a person, crossing the bridge to the old factory!

"Yes, daddy." she said.

He looked mildly surprised, but then nodded. Sissi watched him sail away. She smiled and waved until he was out of sight. Then she turned to the bridge and found a ladder up the side and began to climb.

"Whoever you are," she said to the person she'd seen. "You're so busted."

Jeremie Belpois sat in front of the super-calculator. The elevator opened to reveal Odd Della Robbia.

"Odd, thank goodness. Yumi and Ulrich need your help on Lyoko, _now_."

"I'm on it." he said, and pushed the elevator button. He entered the scanner and waited.

"Transfer, Odd."

The super-calculator called up his card.

"Scanner, Odd."

The super-calculator re-wrote Odd's genetic makeup into computer code.

"Virtualization."

_Odd dropped to the ground in the Desert Region. He lashed his purple tail around for balance, and stay crouched, his clawed hands on the ground._

"_The others are just over that ridge to your right, Odd."_

_Just then, Yumi Ishyama, Ulrich Stern, and Aelita ran toward Odd. An assortment of Monsters in close pursuit._

"_I see 'em."_

_Jeremie scanned his readouts. Three megatanks, and seven blocks. Not good odds._

"_Yumi, you have fifty lifepoints, Ulrich, thirty."_

_Ulrich nodded. "I'll keep 'em busy, you get Aelita to safety."_

"_Ok." Yumi agreed hesitantly._

"_Come on, Princess, we gotta get you to safety." Odd said, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of the way of a laser._

"_Thanks." She gasped. He nodded as they started running._

Sissi eyed the long wires carefully. They had obviously been used to slide down before. She swallowed and slid down, stumbling a bit as she landed.

She looked down as her shoe scraped the cement floor.

"Whoever you are, you're buying me new shoes." she hissed.

_Yumi pushed Aelita out of the way of the megatanks laser wall. It caught her and threw her back. She threw her fan just as her body began to fade. By the time her fan had flickered out of existence, two blocks had been obliterated._

She took the elevator up to the super-calculator room.

"How's it going?" She asked, looking over Jeremie's shoulder at the screen.

"Not good." He said grimly. "Odd got Aelita to a deactivated tower, but Ulrich's not gonna last much longer." He put the mike over his mouth. "Odd, hurry up!"

Sissi stepped into the elevator and paused. She looked at the two red buttons for a second and pressed one.

Yumi pointed to a tiny box in the corner of the screen.

"What's that?" She asked.

Jeremie clicked on it. The box enlarged. It showed the bridge leading to the factory.

"Security camera's." he mumbled.

The picture changed. He clicked the box again, and it became smaller.

"Ulrich, look out!" He yelled into the headset. Ulrich's blinking light disappeared. "Odd, it's up to you now."

Sissi looked around the room. Three golden cylinders stood with her.

Just then, one of the cylinders opened, and Ulrich half-fell out.

"Ulrich!" She exclaimed.

"Sissi!" He cried, obviously surprised.

"What are _you_ doing here?" They asked at the same time.

"Oh, uh. . ." He whipped out him mobile and dialed, turning around. "Stay right there." He said to her. "Jeremie? We have a problem. . .Sissi's down here in the Scanner room with me. . .Yeah, ok, we'll be right up." he put the mobile into his pocket and turned back. "Alright, come on." he told her, pulling her into the elevator and pressing the number code.

"Yumi." Jeremie said urgently. "Sissi found her way into the factory. Ulrich's brining her up here."

"Sissi? -Oh- what was she doing here?"

"That's what I hope to find out."

The elevator opened.

Jeremie swivled his chair around the Holo-Map. Yumi walk around to stand next to Ulrich. All faced Sissi.

"Ulrich, dear, I demand an explanation!"

"First, I am _not_ your 'Ulrich, Dear.' And second, I don't have to explain anything to you."

Yumi tipped her head, and the three of them crossed the room.

"Can we trust her?" Jeremie asked.

"I wouldn't." Ulrich said.

"Under the circumstances," Yumi responded, glancing at the display, where Odd's lifepoints seemed to decrease as if on cue, "I don't think we have a choice."

"You wanna send _Sissi_ to Lyoko?" Ulrich said in disbelief.

"Mm-hmm." Yumi answered.

Ulrich opened his mouth to protest, but Jeremie cut in. "Look, guy's, we don't have time for this." He sighed, "Much as I hate to say it, Yumi's right, we don't have a choice."

Ulrich hesitated a minute before nodding.

"Alright then. You two explain to Sissi and get her in one of the Scanners. I'm gonna check up on Odd."

Yumi gave a thumb's up, and she and Ulrich, went over to Sissi. As they led her to the elevator, Jeremie got back into the chair and swivled back to the super-calculator.

"_Hey, Odd."_

"_Oh, you're back." Odd said, backflipping behind a rock. "I hope you've got a plan."_

"_As a matter of fact, yes. But you're not gonna like it." he warned._

"_Look, einstein, if it's a plan, I'll go with it. I can't beat them all, and I'm not a pretty kitty anymore."_

"_Odd! This isn't a joke! Sissi's _here_!"_

"_No joke, Jeremie." Then. "Did you say Sissi? At the factory?"_

"_Yes, Odd, she followed you. We're going to send her to Lyoko."_

"_Are you sure that's a good idea?"_

"_Do you have a better one?"_

"_No. By the way, how many lifepoints do I have left?"_

"_Twenty. Be careful."_

Jeremie dialed Ulrich's mobile. "Is she ready? . . . Ok, I'm starting the virtualization." he hung up.

"Transfer, Sissi."

The super-calculator scanned sissy, adding an info card to it's data banks.

"Scanner, Sissi."

The super-calculator whirred, creating a virtual body for Sissi.

"Virtualization."

Sissi appeared on Lyoko. Her long black hair was held back in twin ponytails. She wore a dress similar to Aelita's, but in hot pink and yellow, with different sleeves. Around her neck was a chain.

"Hey, Sissi, you ok?" Jeremie asked.

Sissi looked around. "Yeah. So, this is where you four are always sneaking off to."

"Yep. Ok, somewhere to your right is an outcropping of rocks. Odd is waiting for you."

_Sissi ran until she found Odd, and nearly screamed. Odd put a hand over her mouth. _

"_Those are Monsters. You have to hit the eye to destroy them." He ducked, and pulled her down with him. As a laser streaked over head. "Oh, and don't get hit. If you lose too many lifepoints, you end up back on Earth. But if you don't get Aelita to the tower it's game over Earth, got it?"_

"_Ok. . .what do I hit them with?"_

"_Take off your chain." Jeremie suggested. _

_She shrugged and yanked the chain off. It changed in her hand to a whip, glowing yellow._

"_That should work as a whip and a rope." Jeremie said._

"_Let's go." Odd said, leaping over the rock. "Laser Arrows!" Two of the arrows deleted a couple of lasers. The third destroyed a block. He landed on the frame of an opening megatank and fired. Nothing. "Uh-oh. Jeremie, I'm out of Arrows!"_

"_Ok, hold on and I'll reload you."_

_The eye began to glow. "No, don't bother." The laser-wall knocked him back. Sissi watched him fade and disappear. "Good luck."_

_Sissi jumped out. The remaining two blocks scuttled towards her, she spun her whip across them. The two megatanks turned to face her. One shot a laser-wall at her._

"_Hey! That's not very nice!" She yelled, clenching one fist. "What the. . .?" Spikes came out of her knuckles. She punched the megatanks eye._

"_Sissi, jump, before it explodes!" Jeremie told her._

_She began to jump away, but the explosion knocked her back into a tree._

"_You just lost twenty lifepoints." Jeremie informed._

_The second megatank rolled forward. She waved her whip at it. It began to open. The bean shot out and she leapt away, doing a handspring._

"_I'll teach you!" She sniffed. She leapt forward, punching. Suddenly, the spikes left her knuckles, flying into the eye. "Now what?" She called upward, as the megatank disappeared._

"_Get Aelita to the tower." Jeremie said._

_Aelita stepped out of the deactivated tower and joined Sissi._

"_Lead the way." Sissi said._

_The tower glowed red._

"_How are you gonna get inside that?" Sissi asked._

"_It's not solid." Aelita said. "Get ready."_

"_Wait. So. . .you're gonna go in there, and put in some kind of code. . .and time is gonna reset?"_

"_Well, yeah."_

"_Sissi, after the return trip, come to my dorm." Jeremie said. "We'll be waiting for you."_

"_Ok."_

_Aelita entered the tower. She rode through the data stream to the next level. The interface slid down and scanned her computer code. Her name flashed across the screen. She input the code._

_The screens fell toward the bottom of the tower, and the white time bubble rose._

"_Return to the past now." Jeremie said._

"Goodbye, daddy." Sissi said. She kissed her fathers cheek.

After he had gone, she headed back to the school. Nicholas and Herb joined her.

"Nicholas, Herb. . ." She began.

They looked at her expectantly.

"Sissi's gang is no more." She said firmly. "I'm going Ulrich's group."

"I don't believe it." Herb said.

"Well fine then, see for yourself." She held her nose up and turned on her heels, walking toward Jeremie's dorm. Herb and Nicholas followed.

When they arrived, Sissi knocked on the door.

Ulrich opened it and peered out.

"Oh, hey Sissi. We've been waiting for you." He said, letting her in and slamming the door in Herb and Nicholas's faces.

Sissi looked at them. "So it wasn't a dream."

"Nope." Jeremie said.

Ulrich held out his hand and she shook it.

Preview:

"_Jeremie! Wait! There's something wrong with the" he was cut off as the time bubble engulfed them._

"What? Where are they?" Jeremie asked.

"Nice to meet you Steve. I'm Odd. That's Sissi and Aelita. Um, we're not from around here."

"I could send _you_, Jeremie. I know you hate the scanners, but if it's the only way. . ."


	2. Temporal Displacement

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place about three months after 'Additions'.

Key: Time change

_Lyoko_

Earth

Code Lyoko: Temporal Displacement

By. Tate Icasa

_Ulrich, Odd, and Sissi stood back to back in the forest region. Five Hornets flew around them._

"_On my signal. . ." Ulrich warned. One of the Hornets fired. "NOW!"_

_Odd leapt through the ari, shooting an arrow as he rolled above the Hornet. As he landed another Hornet hit him from behind. He jumped, aiming for it. From behind, he heard a laser shoot, and the one in front of him shot as well. _Uh-oh. _He thought. Then he felt something wrap around his ankle and he fell onto the ground. He looked up to see Sissi twirling her whip._

"_Thanks." He got up and dusted off his shoulder. Then he saw Ulrich devirtualize. "I'll take that one." he said, pointing, and began climbing up a tree to get above it. He landed on its back. "Yahoooooooooooooo!"_

"_Odd, stop fooling around!" Jeremie chided._

"_Ok, Ok." Odd said. He looked down and shot the Hornets eye. It flickered out of existence._

_He looked down, and realized that he was over the Void._

_He felt Sissi's whip wrap around his wrist, but then his vision became tinged. He vaguely heard the fact that Aelita was in the tower, until the vision had ended._

"_Jeremie! Wait! There's something wrong with the" he was cut off as the time bubble engulfed them._

He sat up and gingerly touched his head. _Ow, must have been one heck of a return trip._ He looked around. Sissi and Aelita lay on the ground. Together, the three of them formed a triangle. He got up and moved slowly.

He gently shook Aelita. "Hey. Hey, wake up Princess." he said quietly. She made a small noise and opened her eyes. "Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." she said, smiling. "Where are we?" She looked around. "I'm human?"

"Looks that way." Odd said. "Why don't you look around, while I wake her?" he suggested, motioning to Sissi.

She nodded, and he helped her up.

"Sissi? Hey, Sissi?" he said, shaking her gently. "Come on, get up won't you?"

She moaned softly.

"W-what happened?" She sat up.

"I don't know, exactly. Something happened to the RTM right after Aelita entered the code."

"To the what?"

"The RTM. The Return Trip Mechanism." he glaced around. "I wonder where we are. Or when, for that matter."

"I think, I think we're in the factory." Aelita said, joining them.

"What? Aelita, that's impossible! Where are the Scanners? Or the Super-calculator?"

"Maybe we're back before Lyoko was connected to your world."

"But then, that means," Sissi began, "We have no way of getting back."

"What? Where are they?" Jeremie asked, more to himself than to Ulrich.

"Huh?"

"Odd, Sissi, and Aelita. I can't find them anywhere!"

Ulrich peered over his shoulder. "Jeremie, what was that Odd was saying just before the return trip?"

"I don't know. Something's wrong with the. . .something, why?"

"Could he have know something you don't? Had a psychic vision or something?"

"I guess it's possible, but. . ." he stopped, scanning a piece of information on his screen. "That _can't _

be. . ." he moaned softly, and rested his head in his hands.

"What? What is it, Jeremie?"

"Something, I don't know what. . . interfered with the RTM the exact second Aelita deactivated the tower, causing a momentary negation of my coordinates. . ."

"In english, that means what?"

"It means. . .it means the super-calculator could have sent them back to any time in history. And I have no idea how to get them back."

"So, it's just a factory?" Sissi asked.

"Yeah, I guess." odd said.

"Not precisely," said a mean's voice from behind. They turned to see a tall man with curly black hair looking down at them. "I'm Steve." he said, and motioned behind him to a group of people. "And that's my team."

"Nice to meet you Steve. I'm Odd. That's Sissi and Aelita. Um, we're not from around here."

Steve beamed. "We know. From what we can judge, you're from at least five years in the future, right?"

"2005." Odd said cautiously. "How do you know that?"

"We're going to build a computer to interface with a paralell universe." Steve said. "As soon as we've got it running we're going to program a special recall to send us people from time when it's running to us now."

"But that makes no sense!" Sissi protested.

"It's a paradox." Aelita said. She looked up at Steve. "You want _us _to help you build the super-calculator and interface it with Lyoko?"

"If that's what you want to call it."

"So, um, Steve, what year _is_ it?" Sissi asked.

Steve smiled. "Why, it's 1994, of course."

"They're _where_?" Yumi asked.

"When, actually." Jeremie corrected. "And I don't know. I don't even know _what_ happened. Not yet." he thumped his head on the desk. "Usually, Aelita gets me information from the interface that solves the problem. . .but now we can't access the interface." He looked up at the program, but was too tired to make sense of it. "If Sissi had joined us today. . ." he murmured.

"What?"

"If Sissi had joined us today, I could have programed her to be able to use the interface. But now there's no one to program it for."

"Well, there _is _one way. . ." Yumi began.

"What are you talking about?"

"I could send _you_, Jeremie. I know you hate the scanners, but if it's the only way. . ."

"I. . ." he stopped and thought about it. "Alright, Yumi, I'll set it up for you."

"So," Steve asked. "What's 'Lyoko' like?"

Aelita drew a diagram on the table. "There are for regions." She pointed them out. "Forest, Desert Glacial, and Mountain. There are Towers scattered through them. Some allow travel within the regions or to other regions, some work as interfaces, some. . .allows Xana to act in the real world."

"Who?" Asked a red-haired womean Steve introduced as Karen.

"Xana." Odd said. "The demonic super-virus that runs Lyoko. He's always trying to take over the world."

"So, where do we start?" Steve asked.

"The super-calculator." Aelita said instantly. "It moniters Lyoko and all the other components." She sketched it out. "It's about so tall, so wide, and hands down from the ceiling." She headed towards the elevator. "Come on, I'll show you."

"Hey, Steve, you don't happen to have anyting to eat, do you?" Odd asked.

The girls giggled.

_Jeremie appeared in Lyoko and landed on his face. He looked around. "Hey, Yumi, how is it?"_

"_Uh, you're clear. No monsters."_

_Jeremie looked down at himself. Blue clothes. He nodded. He was carrying a strange black and silver staff. He had a silver sash that could hold the staff behind his back._

"_Ok, turn to your right a little bit, and keep going until you find the vines, then follow them"_

_As he turned to obey, she exclaimed. "Hey! No fair!"_

"_What?" He asked._

"_Put your hands on your sides and pull."_

"_Why? What'll that do?"_

"_Just do it. Ok?" she said._

_He sighed, but did as she said. "What the?" The cloth he was holding could have worked as wings. From the back it was dark blue, from the front light. "Wow."_

"_Yeah." She said, the jealousy in her voice apparent. A pause, then, "Jeremie, you've got Monsters approaching. Three crabs."_

"_Yumi, I can't fight monster _and_ use the interface. And if I get devirtualized I can't come back."_

"_Ok, I'll phone Ulrich, he's probably _dying_ to get back here."_

"For the last time, Ulrich, are you _sure_ you don't know where your friends are?" Mr. Delmas asked insistantly.

"Sir, I. . ." His mobile began to ring.

"Ulrich! You know that all mobiles are to be off during. . ."

Ulrich looked at it. "It's Yumi." He said pointedly.

Mr. Delmas nodded reluctantly.

"Hey, Yumi. . .you what!. . .He's were!. . .Yeah, ok. . .bye." he looked up at the principal. "I gotta go. I'll bring them back, I promise!" he called the last over his shoulder as the door closed behind him.

Mr. Delmas half stood, scratched his head, and sat back down.

_Ulrich dropped to the ground behind Jeremie._

"_Sweet get up." he said._

_Jeremie turned. "Thanks, Ulrich."_

_The three crabs had them surrounded._

"_So, Jeremie, hows that staff thing of yours supposed to work, anyway?"_

"_Uh. . ." he twisted the staff and it split into two smaller pieces. One black, and one silver. He held one in each hand. "Let's find out, huh?"_

_Ulrich nodded. "Your move, Jeremie."_

Aelita nodded at the plans. It had been almost a week since they had arrived in the past. The plans for the super-calculator were finally finished. She yawned.

"Next, the Holo-Map. Tomorrow." She yawned. "Tomorrow." She lay her head on the table and within seconds was snoring lightly.

"Poor kid." Steve said to Odd and Sissi. "She's all but worked herself to death." he pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

"She'll be ok." Odd said. "She just needs time to adjust to haveing to rest."

"What?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah, she's not used to sleeping, is she?" Sissi asked.

"Nah. Meditation, probably, sleeping, no." He grinned. "Oops, sorry Steve. Guess we forgot to tell you. Aelita here is the first and only native Lyokan. Other than Xana, of course."

Aelita woke up to realize that the plans were no longer in front of her. "I. . .I must have dozed off. . ."

"Yeah, Princess, for two and a half days even. Hope you feel better, cuz Steve's stuck on your plans."

"Two and a half _days!_" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, we were starting to worry about you."

"I guess someone should go tell Steve you're up, huh?" Sissi suggested.

"You go." Odd said.

"No, you go."

"No, you."

"No,"

"I'll tell him myself." Aelita said. "If you two are going to squabble like children."

Odd and Sissi looked at the ground guiltily.

"I'll go."Odd said.

"No, I will."

"No, I'll go."

Aelita sighed and walked out the door.

_Jeremie leapt into the ari and threw his black staff. It cut straight through the Crab's eye and out the other side, ling on the ground. Jeremie picked it up._

"_Nice shot." Ulrich said. "Go on, get the the tower, I can handle these two." he urged._

_Jeremie looked at him. "Are you sure?"_

"_Just go!" he leapt, "Triplicate!" As he landed, he looked over at Jeremie. "What are you waiting for, _go!"

_Jeremie nodded and run toward the tower._

"_Uhh, Yumi?" Jeremie said. He looked at the tower. It stood almone on an outcropping of rocks _ten feet across the void_. "How do I get _to_ the tower?"_

"_Try flying." Yumi said._

_Jeremie shrugged. He reconnected and stowed his staff and spread his wings. He glided over. "You know, that was kind of fun."_

"_I'll bet. Can we get to work now?"_

"_Impact!" As the last crab disappeared, he looked at his remaining duplicate. "Any others, Yumi?"_

"_None. I'm bringing you back now." She put her finger above the button._

"_No, wait." Ulrich said quickly, peering into the distance._

"_What? I've got nothing on my screen."_

"_Well it's there."_

"_Jeremie, Ulrich's seeing a Monster that doesn't show up on my screen."_

"_That's impossible." Jeremie said. "Let me see if I can figure it out."_

_He rearranged some screens. "Restricted? What do you mean restricted?"_

"_Can you hack it?"_

"_I can try." He began. "Ok, you should be able to see it now." He paused. "That's strange."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Probably nothing good. Why don't you come to Lyoko?"_

"_Um, Ok, if you say so."_

_The Monster looked like a cross between a plant with legs and an octopus. It was black and shadowy, and Ulrich couldn't see the eye. It was moving toward him quickly._

_He slashed at one of the tentacle like apendages. Instead of breaking, it wrapped around his saber and threw it into the Void._

"_Uh. . ."_

"_Need a hand?"_

"_Yumi! What are you going here!"_

"_Saving your life, obviously."_

_Just then, the time bubbled engulfed them all._

Jeremie opened his eyes after what seemed like forever. He sat up and looked around. Ulrich, Yumi, and himself appeared to be sitting in half-finished scanners.

The elevator opened, and a group of people stepped out. Among them were Odd, Sissi, and Aelita.

"Jeremie!" Aelita excaimed, rushing over to help him up. "I missed you so much!" She hugged him.

"Aw, look at the two lovebirds, reunited at last." Odd joked. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" He complained, as an elbow connected with his ribs.

Sissi smiled sweetly.

"Hey!" Ulrich said. "Someone wanna explain all this to us?"

Jeremie and Aelita broke aparts so fas that everyone began to laugh.

"Uh, Ok, Kids, why don't you explain to your friends, while I go check on Kelli. She's alone with The Machine."

"Ok." Aelita said. "But Steve?"

"Yeah, Kid?"

"Don't turn him _on_ until. . ."

". . .One of us has made _sure_ there's nothing wrong with it." the three finished together.

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry. You don't live three months with someone without learning to second guess them."

"Three months? You've got to be kidding!" Ulrich excaimed.

"Yeah, Aelita, it's only been a couple of days since you disappeared.

"We've been here for three months." Odd said. "Really!"

"But. . .then. . .why didn't you just use the RTM to come back?"

"Take a look around you Jeremie." Odd said sarcastically.

"Oh."

"Come on." Aelita said excitedly, pulling Jeremie behind her. "We can catch up in the dining room."

"Pass." Sissi said. "I'm going to go check on Kelli and Steve."

"Yeah." Odd said. "There's not enough fire extinguishers left to avert disaster this time."

"Hey, Odd, you mind explaining that comment?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah, actually, I do mind, ok?" Odd said, sounding strangely defensive.

"What's your problem?"

"It was about a month ago." Aelita said softly. "Kelli had a part of the super-calculator hookedup and Odd let her turn it on without checking her wiring.

"We had to rebuild the entire mainframe." he sighed.

"Hey." Sissi said encouragingly. "We got through it."

"Yeah, I guess." Odd said. He stepped out of the elevator. "Hey, everybody!" he called. The people in the room looked up. "These are our frineds Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi."

Sissi nodded. "Ok, you already met Steve." Steve nodded. "The red head is Karen. Kelli is the brunette by the mainframe, and her twin brother Bennie is over there." She pointed and Bennie waved.

"We're heading to the dining room." Aelita said. "You want to come?"

"Nah."

"I think I'll stay up here too." Odd said.

As they filed into the elevator, Ulrich asked, "What's with them?"

"Oh, couldn't you tell?" Aelita said. "They're together."

"What!" The three said together.

"Odd and Sissi? I don't believe it." Ulrich said.

"Yes, it's true. They've been together for almost two months now." The elevator stopped.

"What on earth? Isn't this the room Xana's Mainframe is in?" Jeremie asked.

For an instant, the tables and food flickered.

"Don't mess with it!" Aelita shrieked. Then calmer. "Sorry. We're operating on very risky principles."

"Such as?"

"Such as Theoretical Temporal Bonding and Theoretical Temporal Paradox. . ."

"TTB _and_ TTP? You can operate them?"

"Well of course. You're here, aren't you?" She paused. "It's because Lyoko isn't connected yet. The laws of time and space are looser here."

"Uh. . ." Ulrich said. "What?"

But Jeremie and Aelita were engaged in a long string of technobabble.

"Hey, guys?" Yumi interrupted.

They turned.

"No one but Jeremie understand you, Aelita." Ulrich pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." She led them to a table. "All we've got is fruit. We don't get out much, you see. What we're going here is top secret, and quite probably illegal."

"Fruits fine." Yumi said.

"So, uh, where are we anyway?"

"Not where. When." Jeremie corrected.

"Fine. _When_ are we?"

"1994." Aelita looked around. She hit a button on the table. "He, Bennie, can you seend Odd and Sissi down here?"

"Sure 'leeta. Uh, you want I should send the plan too?"

"Yes, Bennie. And I told you to stop dropping the 'Ae' from my name."

A year later. . .

The six sat around the table.

"I think we're finally done." Aelita said.

"So lets go turn him on." Odd said, then paused. "I never thought I'd say that."

Steve looked at the six.

"When we pull that lever," he said, pointing, "You'll go back to the time _they_," he looks at Jeremie, Yumi, and Ulrich, "Came from. If you need to, feel free to use the RTM to get out of trouble. We'll miss you."

"Wait." Yumi said. "We're a year older than we were then."

"No, listen." Jeremie said. "If we appear on Lyoko, we can be materialzed the way we would have if we'd never left. Our cards weren't modified by our departure."

"Goodbye, kids."

"Bye, Steve."

They closed their eyes.

_When they opened them again they were on Lyoko._

"_I'd forgoten what it was like to be virtualized." Aelita said._

_They spent some time wandering around the desert._

"_And to think," Odd said. "We helped connect this place to Earth."_

_The ground began to shiver._

"_What the. . .?"_

"_Those aren't pulsations!" _

"_What's going on!"_

Preview:


	3. Dark Regions, Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Temporal Displacement'

Key: Scene change

_Lyoko_

Earth/Other

Code Lyoko: Dark Regions, Part One

By. Tate Icasa

Previously:

_The ground began to shiver._

"_What the?"_

"_Those aren't pulsations!"_

"_What's going on!"_

Continuation:

"_I don't know. This doesn't feel like Xana." Aelita said._

_The platform tilted._

_Odd embedded his claws in the dirt, Ulrich is Saber, Yumi her fan, Sissi her spikes, Jeremie his staff's. Aelita stood behind/on a rock._

"_If it's not Xana then _what is it_!"_

_Before anyone could answer, the platform and everything on it seemed to implode. Everything changed instantly. Shapes, colors, sizes, everything turned inside out, sideways and upside down. Not one of them stayed conscious for the whole thing._

Aelita opened her eyes a slit. The world around her was dark. Dark blue, dark green, dark gray. Tall, looming shapes that might or might not have been trees lined the pathway.

"What happened?" she asked. She received no answer. She opened her eyes the rest of the way. She was lying on the ground. "Jeremie? Ulrich? Yumi? Odd? Sissi? Anybody?"

She heard a noise behind her and turned. For a second, a thing that could have passed for a black bush swayed. Aelita cautiously moved towards it, moving 'leaves' away until she saw what had moved. "Yumi!"

Yumi didn't move. She was out cold.

"Come on Yumi, wake up!" She shook Yumi, still, with no response. "_Yumi!_" When Yumi still didn't respond, Aelita pulled her out of the bush. "Yumi, please wake up, you're scaring me."

This time Yumi stirred. Moaning a little she sat up and opened her eyes. "Ugh. What happened? Where are we?"

"I have no idea." She looked around. "But I don't like it here. It - it scares me a little."

"And well it should." said a voice from above them. A raven-haired girl dropped down from the 'trees' in front of them. She was dressed in a black and gray outfit, not unlike Aelita's. Something about her smile put Yumi on guard.

"Where are we?" She asked the girl.

"Okoyl. My beautiful domain." The girl said. "A reversal of the world you call Lyoko. _I_ am Mela, Empress of the Dark Regions. Who are _you_, trespassers?"

"Yumi Ishyama."

"Aelita." Aelita had no better answer, but something in Mela's eyes said that it was the wrong answer.

The look was brief. It passed almost as soon as it showed up. "Come with me." Mela said finally. "We have. . .much, to discuss." She began to walk.

Aelita and Yumi looked at each other, shrugged and began to walk after her.

Odd looked around. The region he was in was surrounded by huge walls, all made of different materials. There were walls of stone, ice, wood, even the sand desert material. The walls were of varying height and spacing, and the whole place seemed as if someone had randomly shuffled all the regions together into a maze.

"What is this place?"

He heard a faint rumbling sound.

"I don't like the sound of that."

He jumped up and began to climb the nearest wall, which was made of ice. From the top he could see that it was, indeed, a maze. A huge maze that stretched across the entire platform, and all the surrounding platforms seemed to be the same.

"Whoa."

He jumped across the gap to the top of another wall. Suddenly, something hit him from the side, hard enough to dislodge him and send him sprawling onto the ground.

"Hey! What'd you do that for!" he yelled, looking up just in time to see the figure get hit by an oddly colored laser. He had just enough time to realize that the figure _wasn't_ one of his friends, before three monsters flew into view.

They resembled hornets, only by the pure coincidence that they had wings. The new monsters were huge. They were blue-greenish, and appeared to be dragonflies.

The stranger pointed at them. Odd nodded, and aimed his Arrows.

"Now!" The stranger yelled. Odd shot the Arrows. Four of them hit the Dragonfly. It shuddered but didn't disappear. He shot it more. In the end it took ten Arrows total to destroy it.

The stranger ducked down into the maze.

It was a dark-clothed female.

"Come on." She said, "I know where we can hide." She turned and began running, weaving her way through the maze, Odd on her heels.

Ulrich rolled onto his side and opened his eyes. Then he jumped to his feet. The ground was cracking around him. Red liquid he guessed was lava seeped from the cracks.

He backed away until he reached the ledge.

He could see the lava flowing off the platform, stretching toward the Void. Parts of the platform seemed to disintegrate into lava. He crouched and used both hands the thrust his Saber up from the bottom of the platform, so the blade broke through the top.

"I hope this works. . . ." he said, jumping underneath the platform, using his Saber as a handhold. He could see the platform becoming lava, and his Saber slipping. He closed his eyes.

"Ulrich!"

He looked up. Jeremie was flying toward him, Sissi holding his ankles.

"Grab on!"

The Saber slipped out. He reached his hand out. And connected with nothing.

"Ulrich!" Sissi shouted, reaching out with one hand.

"Sissi! You've upset my balance! We're gonna crash!"

As soon as they were over the platform, Sissi let go and landed safely. Jeremie tried to land and tumbled three times.

They scrambled to the ledge and looked over. Ulrich was nowhere in sight.

"Ulrich." Sissi whispered.

They didn't notice the person who approached them until she spoke.

"Did your friend fall into the Void?"

They looked up, startled, and nodded. She sat down cross-legged.

"My name is Mela. I might be able to find your friend." She looked down into the Void and began to glow. After a few minutes she looked up. "There is _one_ more thing I can try. But I need to be in the Castle." She stood up. "Will you come with me? I might need your help."

Sissi nodded quickly. "Of course we will."

Ulrich opened his eyes. He was lying in a cave, or he guessed it was a cave.

"Is this what the Void looks like?"

"No, silly." said a voice. He turned. The girl looked exactly like Aelita, except she had silver hair and a silver and white outfit. "You didn't hit the Void. I saved you. What's your name, anyway?"

"Ulrich." he said, suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cara. I"m glad you're awake. I think your friends are in danger."

"Danger? What sort of danger?"

Cara hit a button on the interface. A hologram of another near perfect copy of Aelita popped up, this time in black and gray. "Her name is Mela. She's sort of like a clone. You could say she's my twin. My evil twin. She works for the one you call Xana."

"Why does this not surprise me?" Ulrich muttered. "Ok, why does this involve me?"

"I was getting to that. She Inverted you here, so I assume she has the others already. The only reason she didn't get you was because you fell."

"Well, then, let's go."

"Not that way." She said. "The tower is this way." she pointed. "Come on, we'll go to the castle, I"m sure she'll take them there."

Yumi, Aelita and Mela slowed as they approached the tower. It was larger than any tower Aelita or Yumi and ever seen.

"Whoa." Yumi said.

"Impressed?" Asked Mela.

They nodded.

"Come on, I'll lead you." She stepped into the tower, Yumi and Aelita just behind her.

The inside of the tower was tinged with violet instead of blue. Mela leaned over the edge of the platform and lead them trough the data stream. As they landed on the next platform Mela sighed. "I'd forgotten. Mother. . .wants to see me. May I take you to a room where you can rest?"

"I guess so." Aelita agreed.

"This way." She led them from the tower.

The Castle was huge. The walls were made of stone, with windows of ice. Mela led them through a series of corridors and into a barren room. "Stay here until I come back." She called over her shoulder.

Odd and the stranger ran through the maze. The stranger turned a corner and stopped. The tower stood in front of them.

"We can go to the Castle. We'll be safe there." She lead him trough the castle, until they came to a room.

The stranger took one look at the door. "Incompetence." she muttered. She grabbed Odd and tossed him into the room, slamming her hand onto a section of the wall. Purplish electricity surrounded the door.

"Hey!" He yelled. He punched at the door. Electricity crackled up his arm, sending him flying into the wall. "Ow!" he said, rubbing his head.

The noise was enough to wake the two sleeping girls Odd hadn't noticed before.

"Yumi? Aelita?"

"Odd?"

"How'd you get here?" He asked, almost casually.

"Mela brought us." Yumi said.

"Who?"

"Mela, Empress of Okoyl. She lives here in the castle. Didn't you meet her?"

"Um, I don't know. Someone led me here and locked me in."

"Locked you in? Mela wouldn't lock you in."

"How do you know? We've only been back in our own time for about half an our."

"Mela's _nice_, Odd, she's going to talk to her mother and then tell us more about Okoyl."

"I thought the girl who led me here was nice too. She saved me from some monsters."

"I still don't think it was Mela that locked you in here. What'd this person look like, Odd?"

"Like you." He said quietly. "Like you with black hair, and black and gray clothes."

"That's Mela alright." Yumi said grimly. "Let's go look at the door."

Ulirch and Cara arrived on the platform only a few seconds before Mela, Jeremie, and Sissi. Cara waved her hands and a transparent purple bubble surrounded them.

"While we're inside the bubble they won't be able to see or hear us. But," she warned, "if you leave to bubble they can, and Mela will capture you."

Mela sanded on the platform, followed by Jeremie and Sissi.

"Why do they look so sad?"

"They think you fell into the void." Cara reminded him.

Mela took two chains from her pocket. "I need to borrow some of your energy. These necklaces will allow me to harness it. Will you wear them?"

Sissi reached out her hand.

"NO!" Ulrich shouted, leaping from the bubble. He grabbed her arm, and threw her over the edge of the platform.

Mela threw the chain and Ulrich and another at Jeremie. They wrapped about their necks, fusing together when they connected.

Ulrich's began to glow and violet electricity surrounded him. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees, trying to pull the chain off.

"Let me tell you something." Mela said conversationally. "On Okoyl lifepoints don't exist, you can't be devirtualized, you can't die. But you can be hurt." She smiled cruelly. "Let that be a lesson to you. To both of you."

The electricity disappeared, and Ulrich slumped forward, panting.

"Come, there are people waiting for us." She grabbed Ulrich by the collar and stood him up. "Can you walk?" She let him go, and he fell back again. "Very well." She began to glow and Ulrich began to float, a soft glow under him, like a board.

_Like Yumi's telekenisis,_ Jeremie thought, still to shocked to react any more than to follow Mela and Ulrich out of the tower and to enter the room Mela pointed at.

Mela slapped chaings onto Odd, Yumi, and Aelita.

As soon as she had left, Yumi was at Ulrich's side.

"Sissi. . .I threw her. . .into the datastream. . ." he whispered. "I'm sorry, Yumi." His eyelids fluttered closed. "I couldn't save you too." He fell silent, unconscious.

"Ulrich? What did they do to you?"

Inside the small room was a throne. It was decorated with dark red and blue jewels. Mela sat in the throne. In front of her stood three more, identical Mela's.

"We lost one." The first Mela, the one of the throne said, frowning. She was silent far a minute. Finally, she said, "It doesn't matter. I suppose we should go see our 'guests'." She joined her 'clones' on the floor.

At the same time, the four of them shouted, "Together!" The clones fused into the first Mela, until there was only one. She turned and walked though the door.


	4. Dark Regions, Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Dark Regions, Part Two'

Key: Scene change

_Lyoko_

Earth/Other

Code Lyoko: Dark Regions

By. Tate Icasa

Sissi swam though the datastream until she came to a platform. She stood there for a second before stepping out of the tower. The word around her was lined with trees. She began to walk.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She wondered aloud.

"Well, to start with, you could avoid stepping into the marsh." A voice called.

Sissi hesitated and stepped back, narrowly avoiding a puddle of greenish liquid resembling Hornet poison. She looked up to see vines crossing the trees and a sliver haired, silver-and-white clothed Aelita hanging upside down from them. She let herself fall, flipping to land on her feet.

"Hi," She said, sticking out her hand. "I'm Cara."

"Sissi. Nice to meet you." She shook Cara's hand.

"I know." Cara said. "I followed you."

"Why?" Sissi asked after a second.

"Because I need your help."

Aelita waved her hand in front of Jeremie's face. He didn't even blink.

Mela appeared at the door.

"Finally!" Aelita exclaimed. "What did you do to them!" She pointed at Ulrich and Jeremie.

"Oh, oops." Mela said sheepishly. "I needed their cooperation, so I. . . oh, it's not important." She glowed for a second, and Ulrich and Jeremie blinked dazedly. "There. They should be back to normal in just a few minutes."

Ulrich began to pull on his chain.

"Don't bother." Mela said. "You can't break it. You'll only hurt yourself."

Ulrich glowered at her, but didn't try to break the chain again.

"What do you want, anyway?" Odd asked.

"I want you gone!" Mela exploded, her voice suddenly different. "I want to annihilate you!"

"Xana." Aelita gasped.

"Of course. Mela is my tool, after all. My. . .envoy, if you will." The voice still came from Mela's mouth. "But I can't just annihilate you, that would be too easy. Stupid programmers. You can't die on Okoyl."

"Then why bring us here?" Yumi asked.

"Because from here you can't be devirtualized. And you can't escape."

"Just out of curiosity. Why can't you just annihilate us?" Odd asked. "Not that I'm complaining, or anything. . ."

"Laws of the Universe. If I destroy you, someone else will take your place. It serves no purpose." He/She laughed "Besides, this is much more fun." Mela blinked. "Well, you could have _told_ me you were taking over." She complained.

The others looked at her.

"You." She said. "Come with me."

"Why should we?" Yumi asked defensively.

"Ulrich, pet, mind explaining to your girlfriend why defying me is a bad idea?"

Ulrich stood and pointed angrily. "_First_," he began.

He never finished the sentence.

Violet electricity came out of the chain. Ulrich stepped forward.

"I wouldn't recommend doing that." Mela warned in a sing-song voice. She twisted the gray-black ring on her finger, and the electricity changed to orange.

"Stop that, you're hurting him!" Yumi protested.

"Well, of course I'm hurting him. That's the point." Mela said.

Ulrich stumbled closer, but by the time he reached her, he was on his knees.

"If I cooperate, will you stop?" Yumi asked.

Mela nodded.

"Yumi. . .no. . ." Ulrich protested weakly.

But Yumi had made her decision. "Where are we going?"

The electricity disappeared.

Mela knelt by Ulrich. "You're very lucky, you know." She paused, "You can stay here and erst today." She stood. "Come on now, we have work to do."

Sissi and Cara sat cross legged in front of the marsh.

"So my friends are with this Mela person?" Cara nodded. She held up a chain.

"Look familiar?"

"Yeah, Mela said it would let her harness and contol our energy."

Cara snorted. "Just like her, of course." She muttered. "Well, she's right, in a sense. The chain can be used for one of two purposes. The first, is to allow you no limits on your powers."

"Wait, what does that mean?"

"While wearing one, Odd can never run out of Arrows, Yumi can't wear herself out using Telekenisis, Aelita can synthesis without danger, etc."

"Ok."

"The second purpose is to turn your energy against you." Before Sissi could open her mouth, Cara answered. "Don't ask. You don't want to know." She sighed. "I could take the chians off, if I could get close enough to recalibrate them to my ring-code."

"Umm. . . ?"

"Just go along with it. I have to get into the castel. Mela is going to send a clone after you. So, here's the plan. . ."

The others re-entered the cell.

"Are you alright, Ulrich?" Yumi asked.

"Fine." Then, "You shouldn't have done what she wanted!"

"She was killing you!"

"You can't die on Okoyl. I could have taken it."

"Ulrich. . ."

"Don't." He said. "I don't want to hear it."

"So, now what? We just give up?"

He turned away.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Listen to yourselves." Aelita said. "We _can't_ give up. How can you even consider it?"

"Squabbling like little children isn't going to help us." Odd said. "We need a plan."

Everyone fell silent. After a while, they faded into sleep.

Cara and Sissi watched Mela from the trees. Cara signaled with her hands. One. Two. Three. Go!

They dropped down from the trees.

Withing seconds the clone was mere pixels on the 'wind.'

Cara reached out and pulled enough of the pixels into herself that her appearance became like Mela.

She held out the chain. "Here."

Sissi put the chain on.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

They entered the tower.

Ulrich looked up. "Hey, look." he said, waking the others.

Sissi entered.

"Guys, listen. . ."

"With her in the other room?" Odd asked.

"Who? Oh! Oh, no, that's Cara. She's going to help us."

Ulrich laughed cynically. "I doubt it. But. . .well, what do we have to loose? Ok, Cara, work your magic."

Cara reached out and grabbed Ulrich's chain. After a few seconds the chain glowed red and shattered into a dozen pieces.

Cara did the same for everyone before leading them away toward the tower.

"Now!" Cara yelled, jumping into the datastream and leading them out into the cave.

"Ok, I'm going to Invert you back to Lyoko now."

"Can't you come with us?" Aelita asked.

"No, I'm sorry, sister. I can't leave her here unchecked."

"Sister?" Jeremie asked.

"Of course. Aelita, Mela and I were all made from the same root program. Maybe when you get back to earth you can work on a way to delete Mela."

"After I finish the anti-virus for Aelita."

"Of course." She said, sounding so condescending that Jeremie began to wonder if she knew something he didn't.

Just them, the world imploded, sending everyone's mind into oblivion.

"Goodbye."

They woke in a tower.

Jeremie looked around.

"I think we're on Lyoko again." Aelita said.

"Send me back to Earth so I can set up the return trip, Aelita."

"Ok." Aelita said. She called up the interface and sent Jeremie back.

"Ow." he said as he fell out of the scanner. "It's strange being human again." He went up to the super-calculator. "Return to the past now!" The white time bubble covered the earth.

"Hey, what's this?" Jeremie asked aloud, picking up a disc. He put it into the super-calculator.

"I don't believe it!"

"Believe what, Jeremie?" Aelita asked.

"This." He said. "It contains the anti-virus."

"Oh, that." Aelita said, smiling. "I sent it to you."

"What? How? When?"

"I sent it to you. Using TTP. And back in 1994. Really, Jeremie, can't you just launch the program?"

"Oh, right." He launched the program. "There."

"I can feel it Jeremie! The virus is gone!"

"Ok, I'm setting up the materialization program, _now_." Then he fell forward, unconscious. His head hit the enter key, and Aelita appeared in the scanner.

She ran up to the super-calculator.

"Wake up, Jeremie!" She said persistently. "That's it, I'm sending you back to Lyoko." She began dragging him down to the elevator. As she got in she pulled out Jeremie's phone and called Yumi.

"Jeremie?" Yumi answered.

"No, Aelita." Aelita corrected. "Jeremie is unconscious and I can't wake him. I'm going to send him to Lyoko. Call the others and meet me at the factory."

"Ok, Aelita, bye."

Aelita put the phone back and put Jeremie into one of the scanners.

She turned and went back up to the super-calculator.

"Transfer, Jeremie. Scanner, Jeremie." She paused for a minute to look at the data. "Well, that explains it." She muttered. "Virtualization."

Jeremie opened his eyes on the desert regaion.

"Jeremie, can you hear me?"

"Aelita? Where are you?"

"In front of the super-calculator."

"What happened?"

"You. . .something has altered your DNA on the subatomic level. You can't survive on Earth for more than ten minutes anymore."

"So. . .we still can't shut down Xana."

"No. I'm going to try to find a way to re-alter. . .that's strange." She typed some more. "Jeremie, a new program has been created."

"What is it?"

"Its. . .a program that can make Lyoko and Okyl run autonomously from Xana. But the program itself is scattered through all the regions. If we can find them. . ."

"Then we can shut down Xana." Said a voice from behind her.

Aelita jumped just about a foot in the air before she realized who it was.

"Odd! How long have you been there!"

"Quite a while, actually. Wo, where do we find the first part of this program? Yumi, Ulrich, and Sissi are already down in the scanners."

"In the desert." Aelita said, starting up the program. "Come one, I've set up the program. They should be on Lyoko by the time we get down there."

They stepped into the elevator. Down to the scanners. Virtualization.


	5. Collection I

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Dark Regions, Part Two'

Authors Note3: I realize that I royally screwed the continuity in the authors note last chapter. Gomen Nasai!

Authors Note4: I apologize to the two people who reviewed the first two chapters. I forgot to mention you last chapter. . .

**xMimiCks-BunnEyx: **I will, don't worry, I have all of this written, its just taking a while to type it all, for a while my friend had the whole thing. . .

**DayDreamer23182: **I hope that last chapter answers that. . .

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection I

By. Tate Icasa

Aelita looked around. "Are we all here?"

"Anyone who's not here say 'I.'" Odd said, then paused for a second. "We're all here."

"Ok, everyone, remember, there's no one in the real world to warn us of monsters, so be _careful._"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. So, what do we do now?"

"How about explain, hmm?" Yumi asked.

"Oh, I forgot you weren't listening to us. Ok, I'll make this quick. Xana messed up Jeremie's subatomic structure so Jeremie can't survive on Earth."

"And we can't turn Xana off."

"Exactly. But I found a program that came make Lyoko and Okoyl autonomous from Xana. The problem is, the program is scattered through all the regions, and we have to collect all the parts."

"You think Xana will try to stop us?" Odd asked.

"Think about it, Odd," Jeremie pointed out, "We're talking about shutting him down. Of course he'll try to stop us."

"Speaking of which. . ." Odd said suddenly, as three blocks came into view.

"Three blocks? That's it?" Sissi asked.

"Don't jinx it, Sissi." Yumi said, throwing her fan at one. As it was destroyed, two more came into sight. "Oh, great. Guys, lets get to a tower."

More Monsters came.

"Yeah, ok." They began to run.

Aelita saw the tower first, dozens of feet in the distance.

"What the-? It looks different. I don't remember this tower."

On a second glance, the tower _was_ strange. It wasn't glowing like a normal tower, in fact, it almost seemed to be glowing _inwards_.

"Maybe it appeared as a result of the new program."

Before anyone could respond, one of the blocks caught up to them, and shot a bluish beam that completely froze Yumi.

Odd pushed Sissi out of the path of another beam and caught his leg in it. As he was trying to pull free, another of the blocks fired a laser at him. Ulrich jumped in front of him and blocked it with his saber.

"Jeremie, get Aelita to the tower and find that program. We can hold them off."

"Are you sure?"

"Just _go_ already!" Sissi said.

Jeremie nodded, and he and Aelita took off toward the tower.

Odd's foot finally unfroze.

"It's about time! Ulrich you can go protect Yumi now."

As soon as Ulrich was out of the way, Odd aimed his arrow.

"Hey, ugly!" he called, causing one of the blocks to spin and face him. He shot three arrows and it exploded. "Laser Arrow!"

The inside of the tower was as strange as the outside. Unlike most towers, the platform had a second bridge leading out to the other side.

"Come, on!" Aelita said, poking her head out. "It's safe."

"Aelita, you shouldn't have done that!" Jeremie exclaimed. "What if it hadn't been safe?"

"You would have rescued me." Aelita said simply, stepping out of the tower. "Coming?"

Jeremie sighed and followed her.

Yumi thawed out.

"Ok, what'd I miss?" She asked, falling into position beside Ulrich.

"Jeremie and Aelita are in the tower. Once they have the program we can let the Monsters devirtualize us." He trust his saber into another block.

Odd landed on his hands on the side of the line of blocks. Rebounding into the air, he destroyed one of them.

"Ha! Take that you creep!"

"Odd, be _careful!_" Ulrich warned.

"Who me?" Odd asked half-seriously.

"Yes, you." Sissi said.

"Oh, alright." Odd said. "You win, I'll be 'careful.'"

"You don't even know what that means, do you?" Ulrich asked laughing.

"Nope." Odd said, grinning.

"What is this place?" Jeremie asked.

"It's so much like your world." Aelita said in awe.

The path seemed to stretch on forever, a rocky path, surrounded on all sides by reddish sand.

"It's strange." Jeremie agreed. "Come on, we've got a long way to walk."

Aelita nodded, and took his hand before walking down the path.

The block hit Odd's leg.

"They just keep coming!" Yumi yelled. "Can we hold them off long enough!"

"We have to." Odd said quietly. Then he grinned. "I doubt Jeremie would be able to protect Aelita by himself, anyway."

"True." Ulrich grunted, digging his heels into the ground against three lasers.

"Odd, look out!" Yumi yelled.

Odd jumped, but the beam caught his foot, and he began to devirtualize.

"Bye, bye." he said, waving.

"Wait." Jeremie said. "It could be a trap."

He bent down and touched the light path across the pit. The path crumbled, falling into the pit.

"Oh!" Aelita gasped. "Now what are we going to do?"

"We fly." Jeremie said. "Hold on."

She nodded, and clasped her hands around his neck. "I'm ready."

He launched off the ledge.

"Jeremie, this is amazing!"

Sissi took another step back. "We can't hold them forever! How long does it take to find a program!"

"As long as it takes." Ulrich answered dryly.

"It better not take much longer." Sissi complained. "We can't hold them!"

"Ulrich!" Yumi yelled. One of the blocks had frozen her in place, and was aiming its laser.

"Don't you dare, block!" Ulrich said, leaping in front of the beam. "Bye, Yumi!" he said, as he disappeared.

The scanner opened.

"Welcome back, Ulrich." Odd said, helping him up. "Maybe you can make some sense of the super-calculator."

"Um. . ."

"Oh, come on, at least try." Odd said, dragging him into the elevator. "You know I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Alright, alright, I'll look at it." He did. "Ok, if I understand this. . ." he picked up the headset and put it on. "Sissi you have 50 lifepoints, Yumi 30."

"Ulrich?"

"Yeah. I hope I'm reading this right."

"We trust you." Yumi said.

Jeremie landed on a large platform. There was a tall, reddish-silver, transparent wall covering most of the platform.

Aelita put her hands on the wall and pressed. Her hands sunk into the wall. She stepped forward into it.

"_Aelita_." Jeremie warned. She kept going.

He sighed and stepped into the wall.

"Be careful." Ulrich warned. "You're both low on lifepoints, and they outnumber you."

"We'll be fine." Yumi assured him. "Honest."

The wall was like gelatin. It bent around them, soft, fluid, but strange. They finally exited the wall into a small room lit dimly with red light.

In the center of the room was a tiny chip floating in a beam of reddish light. Next to it was an interface console.

"Aelita, don't touch it."" Jeremie said. "Just use the interface to send it to Earth."

Aelita nodded. "Alright, Jeremie." She began to use the interface. "What? Come look at this, the materialization program is being blocked."

"Huh? No, that's not right. . ." he began, moving things around. "There, ok. Aelita, can you break this code."

"Oh, sure." She agreed, and began.

Yumi threw her fan. The block exploded.

"Yes!"

Another beam hit her from the side. She watched her hands disappear.

The scanner opened.

Yumi punched the ground.

"Hey," Ulrich said. "What happened to 'we'll be fine?'" he asked, smiling.

"Sorry." She said, accepting his help up. "It's all up to Sissi now."

"Got it!" Aelita exclaimed. "The chip should be materialized now." She turned. The chip was still there. "What?"

"Let me try." Jeremie said. "There."

The chip disappeared. He moved some screens around and Aelita began to fade.

Sissi punched the block.

"This is it. . ."

Jeremie moved some more screens, and began to fade himself.

The scanner opened.

"Did we get it?" Jeremie asked.

Aelita held the chip up.

"We got it."

"Great." He stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, good, you're here." Yumi said when they arrived. "You can take this." She handed him the headset and slid down from the chair.

"Sissi?"

"Jeremie? Did you get the program?"

"Yes. You can come back now."

Sissi nodded, and slipped her whip back into its place.

She held her arms out and allowed the blocks lasers to hit her.

"We win this time."

The scanner opened.

"So, what's it look like, anyway?"

Jeremie held the chip up.

It was silverish, and about 1/8 of a computer disc.

"Wait a while, and we'll go back for the next."

"Great. I can't wait to sleep in my dorm again."

"No! You can't! I don't know how long we've been gone. But if we go back to Kadic we won't get back to the factory."

"We have to live here, like we did in 1994." Odd said. "Cool! I get the scanner room!"

"Hey, that's not fair! You can't call dibs, Odd!" Ulrich protested.

"Can and did. Ha ha!" he took off.

"Get back here! _Odd!_"

"I'm just going to go back to Lyoko now." Jeremie said, pointing.

"I'll transfer you." Aelita said, heading for the elevator.

Jeremie stepped into the scanner.

Sissi and Yumi smiled, watching their boyfriends run around the room.


	6. Collection II

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection I'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection II

By. Tate Icasa

Odd woke up in the elevator.

"What the-? Hey!" he said, pressing the button. "This isn't where I fell asleep!"

"Of course not." Ulrich said, laughing. "You sleep like a log, Odd, you know that? I must have hit your head about a dozen times dragging you over there."

"Why I outta!" Odd mock threatened.

"You couldn't hit me if you tried."

"Uh, guys? Big picture?" Yumi reminded them. "Get in the scanners. You too Sissi." She pulled out her phone as they complied. "Aelita? You ready?"

"Yes, Yumi. As soon as one of the scanners opens, get into it."

"Ok." Yumi agreed. She hung up the phone.

"Transfer, Odd. Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer, Sissi." Aelita called up a screen.

"Scanner, Odd. Scanner, Ulrich. Scanner, Sissi." Jeremie's face appeared on the screen. "Hello, Jeremie, how are you?"

"Fine, Aelita. What about the others."

"Odd, Ulrich, and Sissi should be joining you now." She informed him. She hopped down from the chair. "See you soon." She set the headset on the keyboard and entered the eleator.

Aelita looked around.

"No mosters yet."

"No," Odd said. "You're wrong."

He dropped down from the tree.

"There are Monsters all around the tower."

"We'll clear a path for you." Yumi said.

"When we say go, make a break for the tower." Ulrich said, sprinting ahaed. Jeremie and Aelita remained out of site. "GO!"

They broke into a run, past the crabs and into the tower.

"We made it." Aelita gasped.

"Come on, we have a ways to go."

Aelita exited the tower.

Yumi backflipped onto one of the crabs and shoved her fan into its exoskeleton.

"Hah! I could keep this up all day!"

"You might have to." Odd said, pointing. More crabs were coming.

The world through the tower was beautiful. There was green grass, and there were Earthlike trees. Sunlight streamed in past the leaves, into the crystal clear pond.

"It's. . .beautiful." Aelita said softly. "Come on. Lets go look." She ran off.

After a second Jeremie shook himself and realized she was gone. "Stupid." he muttered, and begam looking for her.

Odd shot three arrows. The first two hit the crab, the second canceled the laser it had fired.

Sissi's whip wrapped around his arm, dragging him out of a lasers way.

"Thanks." he said.

"No, problem. Just try not to get yourself killed."

He nodded and turned back to the crabs.

"Aelita?" Jeremie called. "Aelita!" He stopped. In front of him a was a small waterfall.

"Up here, Jeremie."

He looked up. Aelita was sitting on a low branch of a tree. She hung down and dropped.

"Aelita what are you doing? We have a job to do."

"Oh, please, Jeremie, can't we stay here, for just a minute? I promise, we can go then."

"Oh. . .alright. But just for a minute."

She hugged him briefly before running down to the water.

Jeremie sat down and leaned against the tree, watching her with a smile.

Ulrich pulled his saber out of the crab and leapt backwards. Yumi's fan streaked by his head and destroyed another.

"This is taking longer than last time! What could have happened to Jeremie and Aelita?"

"I don't know. Maybe Xana set a trap for them."

Aelit let the water run through her fingers.

Jeremie finally went down and sat next to her.

"We have to go."

She looked up.

"We have to go." he repeated. "The others are probably in trouble."

She glanced back at the wterfall.

"Jeremie, I don't want to leave. It's so wonderful here. Everything Lyoko could have been. . ."

"Except for Xana." He grabbed her shoulders. "Aelita, if we get the program we can _remake_ Lyoko into a place like this." He shook her. "Aelita, snap out of it! Xana caught you in his trap. We have to go before-."

She put her finger in front of his lips, effectively silenceing. "But, Jeremie, I'm not caught in any trap."

And she kissed him.

When they finally broke apart, she grinned. "Now we can leave."

Odd destroyed another crab, losing ground in the proccess.

"This is horrible! Why is it taking them so long?"

He stepped back again.

"Oh, you miserable crab!" Sissi complained, stumbling backwards.

He caught her as she fell and steadied her.

"This is _not_ crab appreciation day!" he yelled, shaking his fist at the crab.

"Um, Odd," Ulrich suggested. "Next time, try _shooting_ the crab instead of waving your hand at it."

"Great idea." Odd said quickly, shooting. Nothing happened. He tried again. "Off all the times to run out of arrows. . ." he muttered. "Bye, guys." He waved at them as a laser devirtualized him.

They walked a long way in silence.

"Aelita?" Jeremie said hesitantly. "If that is what you wanted, you could have asked."

She stopped.

"Well, in that case," she said quietly. "May I have another kiss, Jeremie?"

It took them a very long time to reach the gelatin wall.

Odd slid the headset on.

"Um, can one of you tell me how to _read_ this thing?"

"Odd!" Yumi exclaimed. "Ok, look at our cards. There should be a line of little red and green dots just underneath our pictures."

"Yeah, ok, now what?"

"Each of the dots stand for 10 lifepoints. The green ones are how many we have left."

"Ok, then. Yumi 60 Sissi 40, Ulrich 10." Ulrich's card disappeared. "Um, make that none. His card disappeared. I'm guessing that means he got devirtualized?"

"Good guess." Ulrich said from the elevator. "Move, I'm better at this tan you are."

"Gladly. Girls, Ulrich is replacing me." He handed the headset to Ulrich, and motioned to the now abandoned chair. "Your throne." He bowed.

Ulrich rolled his eyes and turned to the screen.

The gelatin wall was green tinged.

"Ready?" Jeremie asked.

"Let's go."

Hand in hand, they stepped through the gelatin wall.

Sissi cartwheeled out of the way of one beam, and into another.

"Oops. Good luck, Yumi." She disappeared.

Ulrich read something.

"Yumi, you only have 20 lifepoints left."

"What happens if the tower is destroyed?"

"They should. . .get transported to any other region and that part of the program will be lost forever."

"Then I better not fail." She leapt into battle.

The chip disappeared.

"Ok, Aelita, I'm materializing you. Go tell the others we got it." When she hesitated he smiled, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine, don't worry. When the tower is destroyed I'll just appear in any fandom region of Lyoko. Get ready."

"Ok, Jeremie. I have faith in you."

"I know." He said, turning back to the interface.

Aelita stepped out of the elevator.

"We got it." She said, and held up the chip. "Yumi can come back now."

"Hear that, Yumi?" Ulrich asked. "You can come back now."

Yumi nodded as a slaer hit her leg. She disappeared. The crabs turned on the tower.

The room shook. Jeremie used the interface to steady himself. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he was in the Polar Region.

"That was strange. Hey, guys, what's it look like?"

Aelita held the second chip up. It looked identical to the first.

He nodded. "Tomorrow we'll get the Polar one." He said. "Good night, Aelita"

"Good night, Jeremie."

He closed the visual box and sat cross-legged, until he faded into 'sleep.'

Aelita held the two pieces of the disc together. They began to shimmer. The two pieces fused together, becoming a strange, quarter-disc shape.

She set the shape down in a black velvet lined box and slid the box under the super-calculator.

"To avoid a repeat of _last night_," Yumi began, looking pointedly at the boys, "You boys well be sleeping up here. We girls will be down in the scanner room if you need us."

She draped her arms around Aelita and Sissi's shoulders and led them to the elevator. Aelita glanced up at the boys, who were watching with their jaws dropped.

She winked.

"So," Sissi said. "Why _did_ it take you and Jeremie os long to get the chip?"

"We got. . .distracted."

"Oh?" Yumi asked.

"Yes, Xana set a trap for us, by a waterfall in a park."

"Sounds romantic."

"It was." She said, before she caught herself. "Hey!"

Yumi laughed. After a second she asked, "Did you kiss him?"

She opened her mouth to respond, then nodded. "Yeah." She giggled happily.


	7. Collection III

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection II'

Authors Note3: I also call this my 'pick-on-Odd' chapter. . .

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection III

By. Tate Icasa

Aelita yawned.

"Good morning." she said, smiling.

Yumi mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over.

Sissi didn't move.

Aelita shook her head and moved quietly into the elevator.

The boys weren't up either.

She slid into the chair and put the headphones on.

"Jeremie, you there?"

Jeremie opened his eyes. "Aelita?"

"Yes, Jeremie, it's me. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected, I guess. What about you?"

She sighed. "I'd feel better if we were already going for the disc-piece, but nobody's awake."

"Well, I've got an idea. A program I've been working on. Can you give me Odd's coordinates?"

She checked, and then typed them in.

"Ok. Now sit back and enjoy the show."

Aelita turned.

Just then the sprinkler above Odd came on.

Odd woke up with a start and instantly began screaming. Ulrich sat up, saw the sopping wet Odd, and began laughing. The elevator opened, and Yumi and Sissi got out.

"We heard screaming-." Yumi began, then broke off laughing.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Odd protested.

"We wanted a fun way to wake everybody up." Aelita explained.

"You call this _fun_?"

"It was fun for everyone but you." Ulrich laughed.

"Go dry off Odd, I'll transfer you last."

"I'll get you for this. . ." Odd muttered, walking away.

"You three." Aelita said, looking at Sissi, Yumi and Ulrich, "Go down to the scanners."

As Odd landed, something pierced his hair, knocking him off balance.

"_Odd_!"

"Hey, what was that for!" Odd protested, pulling Jeremie's spear out of his hair.

"I wasn't aiming at _you_, I was aiming at that hornet behind you."

"Hornet?" Odd asked, turning just in time to be shot in the chest by it's poison. "Oh, great." He said, tossing Jeremie the spear and begining to wipe the poison off. "Yuck. That wasn't very nice." He aimed an arrow at the hornet, and fired at the just same time Ulrich jumped toward it. As a result, the arrow hid Ulrich, who missed the hornet and fell down. "Ulrich, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He said. "Oh, look, it got away."

Odd turned back to see and _army_ of hornets flying toward them.

"Jeremie and Aelita," Odd said. "Run for it."

Aelita nodded and began to run. Jeremie followed.

Odd leapt at the hornet, not noticing the other behind him. As the laser hit him, he tumbled forward, running into Yumi's fan. He rolled forward and into a tunnel. "OW!" He called, sliding downward. He flew through the air and out, landing on his face.

He got up and dusted himself off. "This is not my day." He decided, looking up. The tunnel was within jumping distance. "Let's get back up there." He muttered. He jumped, flipping in the air, and dug his claws into the tunnel walls. He looked up. "This could take a while." He said, and began to climb.

Aelita leapt over the ledge.

"Aelita! Where are you going!" Jeremie yelled, dropping down next to her.

She pointed. "The tower is there."

And it was.

They stepped inside.

"Where's Odd?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know." Sissi said. "Odd? Odd?"

She began to search. There was a hole in the ground.

"Odd!"

"Sissi?"

She reached her and into the hole and began to help him out. A laser hit her back, knocking her into the tunnel, and sending them both out the other side.

The world through the tower was covered in glittering snow. Huge snow mounds lined the icy path. Snow fell from the sky.

"It's cold here." Aelita said. "Should it be cold on Lyoko?"

"On Lyoko? No. But this isn't really Lyoko, you know."

"I don't like it here, Jeremie." She shivered.

"Don't worry, Aelita, I can see the wall."

Aelita stumbled and fell forward, into the snow. "I can't go any farther Jeremie."

"Yes, you can." He said, dragging her to her feet.

"No. Go on without me. Get the chip, that's the most important thing."

"What? No!" He put her arm over his shoulder to support her weight. "No, I'm not going to leave you. We can make it."

They began to walk.

Odd sat up. "This is ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous?" Sissi asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just not having a very good day." He turned back to the tunnel. "_That_ is bad. There has to be another way."

"How about that?" Sissi asked, pointing to a ledge a couple of feet away.

"Alright, let's go." He said, jumping to the ledge. "It's like a bridge! Come on!" He jumped to the next ledge.

"We're almost at the wall, Aelita."

Aelita moaned softly and didn't open her eyes. Jeremie shook her, but her head just rolled around.

"Aelita, no. No." He whispered. "Don't be dead." He lay her down gently in the snow. "Say something."

Very faintly, Aelita whispered, "Hurry!"

He brushed the snow away from her before standing and entering the wall.

"Sissi and Odd are _both_ missing. How are we supposed to hold these monsters off alone!" Ulrich complained.

"The same way we always do." Yumi said. "Don't you have a power for this kind of situation?"

"Oh, duh." Ulrich said, slapping his forehead. "Triplicate!"

Two Ulrich clones appeared. Ulrich looked at them and nodded and they all jumped into battle.

Triplicate A was destroyed before reaching a target.

Triplicate B killed two hornets before being destroyed.

"That didn't help much." Ulrich said. He blocked another laser. "I can't triplicate again."

"Maybe no, but maybe you can triplicate someone else."

"Are you crazy?"

"No. Just try." Yumi stood in front of him.

"Ok." He put his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes.

The wall seemed to be trying to hold him back. Everything seemed to be going in slow mothion. Step, step. He finally came out of the wall and nearly collapsed in relief.

He took a step and nearly fell. The cold was making him numb. After a few minutes, he made it to the interface and activated the materialization program.

Odd leapt for the next ledge. He missed, reached out his claws and grabbed the edge.

"Odd!" Sissi cried. She got ready to jump.

"No, Sissi, you can't make it in time." Odd said quickly. "Just shoot me!"

"What?"

"Shoot me with your spikes, I'll devirtualize."

"Are, are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm no good to anyone today. And if I hit the void, that's it, caput. Shoot me."

"Ok." She said hesitantly, and shot him. He waved with his free hand and devirtualized. "By, Odd." She jumped to the next ledge.

Odd tumbled out of the scanner upside-down.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his head. "Why'd I rematerialize on my head? This is really not a good day for me."

Then he saw Aelita, laying on the ground next to the adjacent scanner, face down.

"Aelita!" He cried, jumping to his feet. Her turned her over and looked at her face. "Aelita, wake up!"

Aelita opened one eye. "Odd?" She moaned. "Am I alive?"

"Yeah." He said. "Why?"

"Jeremie sent me back?" She sat up. "Help me get up to the super-calculator. Hurry. Jeremie may be dying."

Jeremie released the interface. He stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. He gripped the edge of the stand and ripped the chip out of the light, then collapsed on the ground, unable to get back up.

Aelita pulled the headset on.

"Destroy the tower."

"What? Aelita?" Ulrich opened his eyes. No extra Yumi's.

"Yes. Jeremie may be dying in there. Destroy the tower, it's our only chance."

"But. . .the program. Won't we lose it?"

"Rather it than Jeremie! Just. . .trust me on this."

"Ok, Aelita." Ulrich said after a minute. "How do we destroy the tower?"

"Just, turn your weapons on it, I guess."

"Got it." He turned back to Yumi. "Want to try again?" Yumi nodded. "Get ready?"

He put his hands on her shoulders, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

And this time it worked.

Sissi punched at the tower. Spikes flew. And felw. And. . .

"Hey! I'm out of spikes!" She pulled out her whip. "Time for plan B."

Ulrich and the three Yumi's raced off toward the tower.

"So," Ulrich said conversationally. "Which of you is the original.

Yumi raised her hand. "I am. Ready girls?" The triplicates nodded. "Go!"

At the same instant, all three Yumi's loosed their fans on the tower.

Jeremie was only dimly aware that the world was shaking around him. He closed his eyes, fully believing he was going to die.

Until he heard a voice calling his name.

"Jeremie? Please, _answer_." Aelita begged. "Jeremie, please. . ."

"Aelita?" he asked groggily.

She squealed and hugged him. "Jeremie, you're ok!"

"Uh. . ." He opened his eyes and looked around. All his friends were staring at him worriedly. "How did I get here?"

"After we destroyed the tower, Aelita found and devirtualized you." Sissi explained. "We all thought you were dead, but not her. She kept trying and trying to wake you. . ."

"How long was I gone?"

"Almost a week." Aelita said softly.

"A _week_!" He sat up. "I was dead for a _week_?" Then he did a double-take. "How'd I survive?"

"You were actually on Lyoko most of the time. 'Sleeping,' Aelita called it." Odd said. "She brought you back for ten minutes everyday. Speaking of which. . ."He looked at the clock. "You need to get back."

"Wait," Jeremie said, fumbling with something in his pocket. Finally, he held up a piece of a disc.

"The program!" Aelita excalimed. "But, how-?"

"I took it out of the light, before the tower was destroyed."

Aelita smiled and took the disc, letting it fuse with the other two. "Ok, now you have to go back."

The scanner closed.

Jeremie opened his eyes on Lyoko.


	8. Additions II

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection III'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Additions II

By. Tate Icasa

Milly Solovieff glanced out the window. "Hey! Timiya, look at this!"

Her best friend, Timiya Diop, glanced up from her homework. "What is it, Milly?"

"Just come look. There are lights on in the old factory!"

"What? Milly you must be dreaming! There haven't been lights on in that old building since, like, before we were born."

"That's not true!" Milly exclaimed. "I've seen lights on before!"

"Oh, really? When?" Timiya asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"A couple of years a ago." Milly looked back out the window. "The night Ulrich and his group disappeared."

"So, what, you think in it might be them?"

"Whatever it is, it's a scoop! I'm going to go over there."

"Oh, no, you're not. You have to help me with the math homework. You promised!"

"Come on, Timiya! If it really _is_ them, the Mrs. Hertz will let you have another day. Let's just check it out, please?"

"You go if you want. I'm staying here."

"I'm going." Milly decided.

"Here." Timiya said, handing Milly the camera. "It sounds like a great scoop.

"Thanks." Milly said. She turned. "See you in the morning.

Timiya nodded as the door closed. "See ya."

Odd sighed.

He had not, by any stretch of the imagination, been having a good week. Aside from the sprinklers and horrible Lyoko run a few weeks ago, even.

He'd nearly gotten himself killed twice. And in his latest mishap, involving dangerous machinery, nearly killed Sissi as well. Which was the reason he was sitting along with the machinery, trying not to cry. Sissi was probably looking for him, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

He heard footsteps, but no one called his name. After a moment, he called out, "Who's there?"

Milly turned the corner to see the saddest-looking Odd she'd ever seen. "Odd?" She asked.

"Milly?" He asked, surprised. "Milly Solovieff? From the fifth-grade?"

"Actually, I"m in the seventh grade now. It's been two years, duh." She looked at him. "What happened to you? Why'd you disappear?"

"Two years, huh? Ok, fine, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything." He laughed hollowly. "But you can't film it." He took the camera from her. "You might as well sit down, it's a long story."

And he explained what had happened, from the very beginning.

"Wow. If that's all true, it's the most amazing thing I've ever heard. Wow."

"Oh, it's true alright. Truer than you know." Sissi said from behind her.

"Oh no." Odd said.

"Milly, dear, take the elevator up a level. The others are waiting for you." She waved Milly into the elevator. "Now then, Odd, _we_ have some thing's to talk about.

Odd closed his eyes, expecting a slap and a scolding, and was therefore completely surprised when she kissed him.

Milly stepped out of the elevator. Ulrich and Yumi were standing next to her in a second.

"Do you have a camera?" Ulrich said.

"No." She said. "Odd took it.

"At least he did _something_ right." Ulrich muttered, earning himself a look from Yumi. "Does anyone else know you're here?"

"Just Timiya," She said. "Why?

"Timiya? Right, Timiya Diop. She's still your best friend?"

"And my dormmate." She smiled. "Things haven't changed too much these last two years. Except your disappearance, of course."

Yumi frowned.

"Get Timiya. Bring her here, there's no way you can keep a secret this big from your best friend."

Milly hesitated.

"Tell no one but Timiya. But go." Ulrich said, laughing as he pushed her towards the elevator. "We're not going anywhere."

Milly nodded.

"There." Sissi said finally. "Feeling better?"

Odd nodded numbly, amazed.

"It was really sweet, you know, when you saved me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

FLASHBACK

**Odd, Sissi, and Aelita had been looking over the machinery, hoping to find something to repair a part of the super-calculator.**

**Aelita had found a coil of wire, and they were going over to look at it.**

**Odd slipped, reached out to support himself, and turned on the machinery. A huge cement block plummeted down towards the unsuspecting Sissi. Odd leapt, shoved her across the room, and fell underneath the block, using his hands and feet to keep it from crushing him until he rolled out from underneath and ran off.**

END FLASHBACK

Milly opened the door to her dorm. Timiya was sleeping at the desk, her head resting on the open math text book. Milly shook her.

"Timiya, wake up." She whispered.

"Uhh. . .five more minutes mom."

"Timiya!" Milly said. "Wake _up_!"

"Huh? Oh, Milly, you're back." Timiya said, blinking.

"Come on, I have to show you something!" She pulled Timiya toward the door.

"Whoa, Milly." Timiya said, pulling her arm free. "Where are we going?"

"To the factory. Come on, it's totally awesome!"

"But-!" Timiya was cut off as Milly dragged her down the hall.

"Be quiet!" Milly whispered, putting her finger on her lip. She dragged Timiya out of the school.

"This is ridiculous!" Timiya exclaimed when they were far enough away. "I feel like I'm being kidnaped!"

"It's this way." Milly said. "Come on."

"Come on." Sissi said. "Get's go join the others." She stood, and reached a hand down to Odd.

He took it and stood. But instead of heading toward the elevator, he just stared at her. And she did nothing to stop him. She leaned in to kiss him, and this time he met her halfway.

Milly pressed the button and the elevator lurched downward.

"Milly, _now_ will you explain something to me?"

"You want to know why I dragged you down here?"

"Duh."

"Ask them." Milly motioned as the elevator opened.

Aelita swivelled the chair around to face her. Ulrich and Yumi walked around behind her.

"Hi!" Yumi said, smiling.

"You look like Yumi did before the disappearance." Timiya said, pointing accusingly.

"Well, or course I go." Yumi laughed. "It's the time dilation effect."

Aelita smiled at their confused looks. "Don't worry." She said. "You'll catch on."

"How much did Milly tell you?" Ulrich asked.

"Nothing at all." Timiya said. Then she looked around. "Ok, where are Jeremie, Odd and Sissi? And who are you?" She glared at Aelita.

"Jeremie is. . .not here. Odd ans Sissi are. . .you know I don't know where Odd and Sissi are. Has anyone seen them?"

"Not since Sissi sent me up to you." Milly said.

"I'll go find them." Ulrich said.

"I'll go with you." Yumi volunteered.

Ulrich nodded as they headed toward the elevator.

"Ok, what is _going on_ here, and who_ are_ you?" Timiya asked.

"Aelita." Aelita said simply. She held her hand out.

Timiya made no move to take it. Aelita let it slide into her lap. She stopped smiling.

"Ok, Timiya, right?" Timiya nodded. "Look, Timiya, your arrival has. . .complicated things for us. We're trying to save the world. You can join us. Or you can forget us. Those are your options." She shrugged. "Make a choice."

Milly stepped forward. "I want to join you." She said instantly.

"I'd rather forget." Timiya muttered, then she smiled weakly. "But if Milly's in, I guess I am too." Then she looked at Aelita. "_Now_ can you tell me what's going on here?"

Ulrich and Yumi stepped out of the elevator. The first ting they saw was. . .kissing.

"Oh, eww! Get _room_ will you!" Yumi yelled.

Odd and Sissi jumped apart, blushing.

"Well, we _had_ this room, until you came along." Odd said.

"Odd, Aelita is _waiting_ for you guys upstairs, with Milly and Timiya." Ulrich said, sighing. "Come on." He stepped into the elevator.

Yumi, Odd and Sissi followed.

"So, let me get this straight." Timiya said. "_You_ aren't human. And you come from a. . .parallel universe?"

"And Xana wants to take over the world." Aelita confirmed.

"So. . .you guess actually go to this. . .digital universe."

"Virtual world." Aelita corrected. "And yes. It's called Lyoko."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Timiya said stubbornly.

"That can be arranged." Aelita said. "Holo-map." She pointed.

"That proves nothing." Timiya said. "I want to _go_ there."

"Umm. . ." Aelita took her mobile out. "Yumi? . . . Yeah. . .they want to visit Lyoko. . .ok, if you say so. . .Yeah, I'll have them meet you. . .bye Yumi." She put the mobile back. "Get in the elevator. Down two levels. Wait for Yumi and the others, they'll instruct you further."

Milly nodded, and she and Timiya stepped into the elevator.

Milly looked around. "These must be the scanners." She said.

"That's right." Ulrich said. "Get into one. Milly, you first. The super-calculator can only run one new character at a time."

Milly stepped into the scanner .The door slid shut.

"Ok, Aelita. Go ahead."

"Ok. Transfer, Milly."

The super-calculator whirled.

"Is she OK?" Timiya asked.

"It doesn't hurt." Ulrich said.

"It's a little scary the first time, but don't worry. She'll be fine." Sissi said.

"Scanner, Milly."

Timiya held her breath.

"Virtualization."

The scanner flashed and opened. Empty.

"Your turn, Timiya." Yumi said. She pushed Timiya into the scanner. "Go ahead, Aelita."

"Transfer, Timiya."

The scanner whirled.

"It's strange, watching them." Odd said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Scanner, Timiya."

"When it opens it's our turn." Ulrich said.

"Virtualization."

The scanner flashed and opened.

Odd, Sissi and Ulrich stepped into the scanners.

"Aelita, you can virtualize Odd, Ulrich and Sissi now. Come down here and I'll transfer you."

"Aren't you going?"

"With Milly and Timiya there? You have enough firepower. One of us should stay and watch the super-calculator."


	9. Collection IV

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Additions II'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection IV

By. Tate Icasa

Aelita landed smoothly.

"How are we, Yumi?"

"You're safe. Is Jeremie with you?"

A little screen popped up.

"I'm not quite there yet, Yumi." Jeremie said. The screen winked out again.

"Alright." Yumi said. "While you wait for Jeremie, have Milly and Timiya check out their weapons."

Aelita looked around.

Milly was dressed in a suit similar to Odds, except it was in bright red. She even had the tail and claws.

"Welcome to the cat club." Odd said. "Let's see if you have any arrows."

"What?" Milly asked. She looked at herself. Her hair was darker, almost maroon, and shoulder length. "Arrows? I don't have a bow."

"Of course not." He said. "You fire like this." He shot an arrow.

Milly aimed and shot. Instead of an arrow, something small and silver landed on the ground.

"Throw it!" Ulrich cried.

Milly picked it up. "Why?" She asked.

The little orb exploded in a huge flash of light. Everyone fell backward.

"I can't see." Odd said, shortly after.

"I don't think any of us can." Aelita said.

"That's one powerful grenade." Sissi said.

"Don't worry, the blindness will pass." Yumi said. "I've got a time. 3. . .2. . .1. . .can you see again?"

Aelita blinked. "Yeah."

"Me too!" Odd said.

A chorus of 'yes's' followed.

"How many lifepoints do we have?" Ulrich asked.

"All of them." Yumi said, surprised. "Looks like that grenade is only a fancy light show."

"Not if you think about it." Odd said. "I mean, how long would it take to destroy a blinded monster?"

"Good point, General Odd." Sissi said, saluting sloppily.

"What about you, Timiya?" Yumi asked.

Timiya was dressed in purple clothes, a jumpsuit type outfit lined in silver. She reached behind her and pulled out. . .a piece of paper?

"Hey, Yumi, what is this?"

"Um, actually, I have no idea. Try throwing it."

"Ok." She threw it as hard as it could. It twirled through the air, like a frisbee. "Looks sharp." It came back to her and she caught it.

"I'll bet it's like my saber, or Yumi's fan." Ulrich said. "If a monster fires at you, hold that in front. You shouldn't loose any lifepoints that way."

"Got it." Timiya said. "Now what?"

"Jeremie should be arriving any second no. Ask him."

Odd ducked into a crouch. "Or not." He said, pointing. A Mega-tank was coming down the narrow path towards them. "This is the only monster we've seen whose lasers you can't deflect." He took aim. "Wait for it to open, or your weapon won't do any damage."

"It's opening!" Ulrich yelled.

Odd sprung up from his crouch, flying throgh the air toward the mega-tank. "Laser Arrows!" He shouted, firing three arrows. Too late, he realized that they wouldn't make it.

"Uh oh." The mega-tank fired a shot. Sissi's whip lashed forward, pulling Odd out of the laser-wall's path. It swept forward toward Aelita.

Ulrich leapt into it's path, putting his saber in front of him.

"I thought we couldn't stop it's lasers." Milly said.

"We can't." Ulrich said, as the laser pushed him backwards. "But we can slow it down. Aelita move!" As Aelita ran out of the way, Ulrich's saber flew from his hands and the laser-wall hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Ulrich!" Timiya yelled.

"I'm fine." He assured her tersely. "Lifepoints?"

"Sixty." Yumi said. "Be careful."

"I will." He faced the mega-tank, picking his saber up off the ground.

"Aelita, hide behind those rocks." Odd smiled. "Milly, give me a grenade." He held his hand out.

Milly produced a grenade and dropped it into his hand.

"Get ready." He warned, throwing the grenade.

Everyone closed their eyes.

"Light show's over." Yumi said.

Odd leapt into the air. The mega-tank spun, disoriented. He bounced off the mega-tank, pushing it backwards, and into the void. He flipped and landed on the path. He bowed.

"Great job, Odd." Yumi congradulated.

"Hey, guys!" Jeremie called.

Aelita stepped out from behind the rocks as he joined them. "Which way to the tower, Yumi?"

"Follow the path the mega-tank came from."

"You heard her." Ulrich said as they began jogging.

"There!" Aelita said after a while. She pointed. "I can see the tower!"

"That's a tower?" Milly asked.

"The program towers look different than normal towers." Aelita said. "Let's hurry."

"I don't see any monsters." Yumi said. "That's too easy!"

"Well, then it's a trap." Odd said simply.

"You're gonna walk into a trap?" Timiya asked.

"Well, yeah, we don't have a choice." Ulrich said.

"How?" Milly asked.

"I'll go in first-." Ulrich began.

"All alone?" Timiya asked. "That's suicide!"

"First, Timiya, if you die on Lyoko, you just reappear on Earth. Second," He held his saber ready. "I won't be alone. Triplicate!" Two more Ulrich's appeared beside him.

"Which one's the real one?" Timiya asked.

"Go!" Ulrich yelled and all three darted toward the tower.

"That one." Milly said, pointing. Timiya nodded.

"Ulrich, three mega-tanks!" Yumi warned.

"Come on, girls." Odd said. "Let's not let Ulrich have _all_ the fun. Jeremie, you and Aelita get to that tower. We'll cover you here."

Jeremie and Aelita ran towards the tower.

Timiya threw her frisbee into the air.

"This is harder than it looks!"

"We've done this for three years, remember." Sissi said. "We've had more practice than you."

"Shield your eyes!" Milly yelled tossing two grenades.

Aelita stepped into the tower. She stopped.

"Aelita?" Jeremie asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a little scared." Aelita admitted.

"Don't be." He took her hand. "We're going to be fine."

She nodded as they stepped out of the tower.

The world was . . . strange. It was covered in rocks, steep, uphill, sparse vegetation lined the path.

"It's a steep climb." Aelita noted.

"We should start then."

The mega-tank opened.

Milly tossed her grenade.

The mega-tank saw it coming and closed.

The grenade exploded.

The mega-tank opened.

Milly realized that she was surrounded. Two other mega-tanks were behind her.

"Milly!" Timiya called. "Hide!"

Milly looked around. _Hide, hide._ She thought. There was no where to go. _Hide!_

The mega-tanks began to turn, looking for their prey.

"Huh? Milly you there?"

Milly nodded.

"Hey, Odd!" Timiya called. "Milly disappeared!"

"Timiya, I'm right here!" Milly excalimed.

"Hey, that's really weird!" Yumi said. "Milly, I've got your card up, but I don't see your picture."

"Wow, Milly, you're _invisable_." Timiya said.

"That must be your special ability." Odd said, landing on top of one of the confused mega-tanks. "Mine's future-sight."

The mega-tank, sensing his presence, began to open. He leaned over, in front of the eye, and shot it with an arrow. It exploded, tossing him back.

"Odd! Why didn't you jump!" Yumi berated. "You just lost 20 lifepoints."

"Sorry." He said sheepishly. "I forgot."

"Milly, can you become visible again? You don't show up on my map when you're invisible."

"I don't know how to become visible. I don't know how I became _in_visible."

"Just think about it." Ulrich suggested. "That's how most of our abilities work."

Milly closed her eyes and thought about it. "Did it work?" She opened her eyes. She could see herself, but she'd seen herself when she was invisible.

"You're visible." Yumi said. "I've got you on my screen again."

"Be careful!" Milly yelled to Odd.

It was too late. The mega-tank's laser hit Odd.

"Odd, you're at 40 lifepoints, Ulrich, 70. Everyone else, 100." She paused. "Great job, everyone." She looked at the clock. "Milly, what day is it?"

"It's Friday." Milly said. "Everybody, close your eyes!" She tossed a grenade.

"You have classes in the morning." Yumi said. "I'm bringing you back now. Go back to Kadic, get some sleep, and after classes come back here." She began the program.

"Bye, girls." Odd said. "Don't let Jim catch you."

"Materialization, Milly. Materialization Timiya."

Milly and Timiya disappeared.

"I'll be back, guys." Yumi said. "I'm going to go check on them. It's their first trip back, after all."

"Alright, Yumi." Ulrich acknowledged. He plunged his saber into the mega-tank.

Yumi set the headset down and got into the elevator. The door opened the scanners.

Milly and Timiya stood, leaning on the scanners, breathing.

She smiled. "Don't worry, it'll pass." She said. "I'd forgotten how hard the first trip is. You'll get used to it."

"Now. .. What's going. . .to happen?" Milly asked, between breaths.

"_Now_, you two are going to go back to your dorm. Jeremie and Aelita will have the program here by the time you get back tomorrow."

She propelled them towards the elevator. "You need your sleep. I'll show you a secret way on and off the grounds." She pressed the button.

Aelita put her hands on the wall.

"It's real." She said, pushing her hands through the wall. She stepped into the wall, and Jeremie followed her.

After what seemed like forever, they exited the wall.

"Jeremie, what happened. I thought we _went_ through the wall?"

The wall in front of them, the steep path behind.

"I don't like this." Aelita said.

"Me neither."

They stepped into the wall again.

Yumi pointed up the ladder.

"You should come out in the middle of some trees. Use this entrance to come back, you can even use our skateboards." She turned. "G'bye."

"Bye, Yumi." Milly said.

Yumi turned back, remembering. "You do know that this is a secret, right?"

"Don't worry. We won't tell anyone." Timiya said.

Yumi nodded and started back to the factory.

Jeremie and Aelita exited the wall where they began.

"This is strange." Aelita said.

"Somehow, we're getting turned around." Jeremie said.

"So, how do we stop ourselves from turning around?"

"I've got an idea, but it requires you to sacrifie a few lifepoints." He said.

"I'll do it. What do I do?"

He told her his plan.

Yumi put the headset on.

"I'm back." She checked the readings. "Odd, twenty lifepoints, Ulrich 40, Sissi 60."

"Thant's great, Yumi. We could really use some back-up here."

"Yeah." Ulrich agreed, hand-springing away from a laser.

"Alright, I'll going you in a minute." She activated the count-down, and headed toward the scanners.

Aelita looked at the path she had created, flame orange on the ground through the brown tinged wall. It was a straight line.

She took one step into the wall, oriented herself, took another step, oriented herself. And on and on for what seemed like eternity.

Finally, she broke into the programing room.

"We made it!" She stepped into the program's platform and keyed into the interface. "Get ready."

The program disappeared from it's case.

Yumi headed towards a scanner.

Suddenly, another opened.

She spun. The program lay inside. She picked it up and smiled. "Finally!"

She headed back to the elevator.

"What's taking Yumi so long?" Sissi asked.

"I don't know." Ulrich replied.

"Hey, guys." Yumi said into the mike. "Don't bother with the monsters. The program is here, you can destroy the tower."

"Got it." Odd said. He began to shoot the tower.

Aelita stumbled backwards, knocking both her and Jeremie to the ground as the world shook.

"I think they got the program!" She shouted.

"Brace yourself!"

But she didn't have time. With a sickening lurch, she was pulled out of reality as her senses overloaded.

Consciousness returned slowly.

She opened her eyes.

"Jeremie?" She sat up and looked around. She was alone. "Yumi, can you hear me?"

"Aelita!" Yumi said. "What region are you in?"

Aelita looked around. "The desert. Where's Jermeie?"

"I wish I knew." Yumi said. "I brought the others back. I'm setting up the program. I'll bring you back and search for Jeremie."

"No." Aelita said quickly. "Jeremie isn't here. You won't find him."

"How do you know that?" Yumi asked.

"Trust me, Yumi." Aelita said. "It has to do with ability to work the interface. I can. . .sense. . .any person who can. And Jeremie isn't on Lyoko."

"Then where is he?" Sissi asked.

"Perhaps. . .he could have been transported to Okoyl."


	10. The Search

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection IV'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: The Search

By. Tate Icasa

"Okoyl? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Besides, we have to get the program from Okoyl at some point anyway."

"But what about Milly and Timiya? They have school, and we don't know how long a trip to Okoyl will take!"

"They can come." Ulrich said. "It's a holiday. Have them tell the principal they're going home, and their parents they're staying , and they're free for a week."

"And if it takes longer than a week? What then, huh?"

"Then we return to the past like we always do." Odd said.

"Ok. You win." Yumi stifled a yawn. "It's eleven. Are you going to come back to Earth for the night?"

"No, I'll stay here. I'm going to use the interface to initiate your plan. When Milly and Timiya show up tomorrow we can just go. And Yumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Come to Lyoko this time. You can't use the super-calculator to see Okoyl.

"Ok. Goodnight Aelita." She put the headset on the keyboard. "Come on Sissi, we get the scanner room tongiht."

Unlike Aelita, Jeremie didn't lose consciousness during the tower's destruction. At least, not fully.

He sat up dizzily.

"Who is it?" Said a voice.

"I don't know. I've never seen him before."

Jeremie turned. Two boys stood a few feet away.

"We should take him to Her Majesty." One of them said. The shorter one. The other nodded.

He pulled a staff out of a pocket and held it read. "Come with us. Don't try to escape." He took a step forward. "Can you stand?"

Jeremie stood.

"Good. Walk that way." He pointed with one hand.

Seeing no other choice, Jeremie began to walk.

"I didn't know anyone else lived on Okoyl. Who are you?" He asked.

The tall one pushed one end of the staff into Jeremie's neck, sending a short but powerful electric shock through him.

"Ow!" He cried, stumbling.

"Do not speak unless spoken to." The tall one said. "Keep walking."

The short one spoke. "You don't look like us. Where are you from?"

"Earth. We use a computer to go to a place called Lyoko-."

The tall one zapped him again. "Do not speak nonsense! There is no Earth, and there is no Lyoko."

"Who told you that?"

The tall one moved to zap him again, but the short one stopped him. "You really don't believe that, do you?"

"Of course I don't believe it!" Jeremie exclaimed impatiently. "I was born on. . ." He glanced at the tall one, when he nodded he continued. "I was born on Earth. We discovered the super-calculator and Lyoko when I was twelve, I think. We've been fighting Xana for. . .two years no. . ." She stopped. "What?"

They were staring at him wide-eyed. "You mentioned the High Lord by name." The short one whispered. "You say you fight the High Lord."

"Xana? A Lord?" Jeremie laughed. "You can't be serious!"

"Don't mock the High Lord!" The tall one snapped angrily. "It is obvious that you are far too insane to be allowed to walk freely. Give me your hands."

"Pardon?"

"Your hands! Now!"

Jeremie held out his hands. Bulky rings were placed around his wrists. The tall one pushed a button on a similar ring around his own wrist. Violet electricity crackled between the rings.

"Hey!"

"Don't talk. Don't struggle." The tall man pushed him forward. "Walk."

"Let me go!" Fumbling because of the rings, he pulled onut his staff and swung it around. And he began to run.

He could hear their footsteps behind him. Something hit him from behind. He stumbled and fell, tumbling to a stop.

"You have given us no choice." The tall one said.

He put the staff to Jeremie's forehead.

Jeremie convulsed once, then his body went numb as consciousness ebbed away.

Everyone was gathered in the desert region.

"Ok, Aelita, mind explaining how we're going to get to Okoyl?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly, Mela Inverted us last time." Sissi said.

"I can Invert us. Mela, Cara, and I are made from the same root program."

"Meaning?" Ulrich asked.

"Anything they can do, _I_ can do."

"Hey, someone want to explain about this, Inverting, Okoyl thing?" Timiya asked.

"No one explained that?" Aelita asked. "Yumi? I thought you told them everything."

"Long story short," Odd said. "Mela captured us, Cara saved us."

"That's real helpful Odd." Timiya said sarcastically.

"The story doesn't matter." Ulrich said. "Mela is the bad one, she looks like Aelita but black and grey. Cara is the good one, she looks the same in white and silver. Mela has these necklaces. . ."

"They look like chains. Don't let her put one on you. Hey conduct electricity."

"I thought we couldn't get hurt in the virtual world?"

"You can't get hurt on Lyoko." Ulrich corrected. "On Lyoko, we have lifepoints. When we run out we got to Earth. On Okoyl, there are no lifepoints. It's like being on Earth, except death doesn't exist."

"Could you be quiet?" Aelita asked politely. "I need to concentrate to Invert us. I'd suggest closing your eyes."

She closed her own and began to glow.

Jeremie woke up in a cell much like the one they'd been in last visit to Okoyl. His staff was missing as were his wings. He looked around the cell. There were two windows, and a door, each with a shield of electricity surrounding it. The good news was that his hands were unbound.

Not that it mattered in here.

His movement had alerted the cell guards. The two boys from before.

"You are awake. Good." The tall one said. "Come with us, the empress will see you now."

The electricity left the door.

Deciding that it was the best way to get information, and he didn't want to come into contact with that staff again, he followed them down the hallways to Mela's throne room.

The tall one shoved him forward.

"Your Majesty. We found this stranger in the swamp."

"A stranger? You disturb your Empress because of-!" She stopped when she saw him. "You! Guards, a collar!"

Before Jeremie could blink, a chain was fastened around his neck.

"You and your friends may have escaped before, but not this time. Nothing would please me more than to see you and your friends as functioning members of the High Lord's Society. Since your friends are not with you, I assume you are alone. You will do."

"I won't worship Xana."

"You will do as I say, when I say, and how I say. You will go with these two, their family will welcome you. You may ask any question you wish, go where you wish, do what you wish. But you will kneel when I say kneel, and you will never mention any part of your former life again." She paused. "From now on, your name is Baachek of Malo-Swamp. Go with them, when I release you." She fingered the silver ring on her left hand. "Kneel, now."

"I will not worship Xana." He repeated.

"To your knees or I'll put you there myself!"

Jeremie stood stubbornly.

Mela twisted the ring. As soon as Jeremie was on his knees, she turned it off.

"You will go with them now."

She turned the throne.

The short guard helped Jeremie to his feet.

"Come on, Baachek., I'll show you around Malo-Swamp. You'll get used to it in no time. By the way, My name is Jaenen. My brother is Maarch."

"Mela said family?"

"Lesson one, never say the empress's name." Maarch said.

"The empress did say family. We have an older sister, Talika, a younger sister, Naeline, and a younger brother, Samious. And mother and father of course." He smiled. "Don't worry, they can only have one more."

"You can reproduce on Okoyl?"

"Well, sure. You'd need the empress's permission, but. . .sure. It's possible." He laughed. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Never mind. Where's Malo-Swamp?"

"Not far from where we found you. Come on."

They hung, suspended in limbo.

Aelita was half of the way there. But she'd hit a barrier.

"This could take a while." She said.

"Mother? Father?" Jaenen said as they approached what appeared to be a fairly large shelter. "Talika, Naeline, Samious? Can out here, I have important news!"

A tall woman who must have been Mother came out of the house first. She had long green hair. Father, a tall black-haired man, followed.

An older girl with short blue hair came out next, holding the hand of a tree-ish little girl with purple hair, and carried a black-haired one-ish boy.

"This is Baachek." Jaenen announced. "By decree of the empress, he is to join our family."

Mother smiled warmly. "Welcome, Baachek." Father grunted.

"Hi, Baachek." The little girl said, "I'm Naeline!"

The little boy wiggled out of the blue haired girls arms. Jeremie caught him. "I'm Talika." The girl said, taking the boy back. "And this is Samious."

"Dinner is in five minutes." Mother said before going back inside. Father regarded Jeremie for a second longer before following.

"Dinner?" Jeremie asked. "I didn't think Okoylan's could eat."

"We don't," Talika said. "But we like to."

"Are you my brother now?" Naeline asked.

"I. . .suppose so. . ." Jeremie said hesitantly.

"Will you give me a piggy-back ride?"

Jaenen shook his head behind her.

"Not now. I have things to discuss with Jaenen."

"What is this?" Aelita asked herself.

"It's the time barrier." It was Cara's voice.

"Time barrier?"

"Of course. Okoyl runs on a different temporal plane than Lyoko. You have to cross the barrier slowly and at an angle."

"That. . .makes sense."

"I'll be waiting for you."

They appeared on Okoyl's Lava Region.

Aelita glanced around.

Cara waved. "Greetings."

Aelita smiled. "Do you know where Jeremie is?"

"At this time? No. Fifteen years ago he appeared near Malo-Swamp and was intercepted by two villagers. No, no, don't fret, remember the time barrier I told you about? Earth and Lyoko exist in a different temporal plane from Okoyl? Each minute of your temporal plane is a year here. His Inversion was quite slow."

"Villagers?"

"Fifteen years!"

"Temporal what?"

Cara closed her eyes and sighed. "This could take a while." Then she shook herself. "Or not. . ." She looked at Sissi. "You. You have it."

"Have what?"

"Telepathy. It's very rare. A special ability. Aelita doesn't have it, even. There's a way. . .a transfer of knowledge. . .I think it could work."

"What could work!" Sissi asked frustrated.

Cara lifted Sissi's hands to her temples and pressed. Instinctively, Sissi closed her eyes. And Cara's knowledge of the last fifteen years entered her mind.

Jeremie looked down at his sleeping child, Aelitette, and sighed.

"You're thinking of her again." His wife, Ritanalia said.

"Yes." Mela had lifted her restrictions about his prior life six years previously, when he had married.

"It has been - what?- fifteen years since you saw her last?"

"Almost sixteen."

"I'm here now."

"I know."

Just them the summons came.


	11. After All This Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'The Search'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko:After All This Time

By. Tate Icasa

The Okoylans gathered in the town square.

"My peopole," Mela began, "Strangers have been sighted. I have chosen a group to capture them. Baachek, you have command. Jaenen and Maarch, you will accompany him. Do not be alarmed, the strangers will be easy to capture."

Sissi transferred the knowledge she had gathered to the others. And they began to walk.

"Halt!" A voice called. "Don't draw your weapons."

They stopped.

"Jeremie!" Aelita exclaimed as he approached.

He drew himself up straighter. "My name is Baachek of Malo-Swamp. You will accompany us to the castle. The empress wishes to see you."

"You mean Mela?" Odd asked, puzled. "I don't think I want to see her again."

Jeremie zapped Odd with the staff. "Do not speak the name of the empress." He sighed. "Walk, and I will tell you of your fate."

"Is that a good idea, Baachek?" Maarch asked.

"The empress gave _me_ command, Maarch, not you." He said simply. "Walk."

_The next day:_

"By decree of the empress, these strangers you have captured are now a part of your family. "Jaenen said. "Congrats."

Baachek smirked. "Thatnks. Is it true the empress allowed them to keep their names?"

Jaenen nodded. "She did. All but the pink-haired one. Mintasia."

"Bring them." He said, after looking up at Ritanalia and Aelitette.

Jaenen disappeared and returned quickly with Odd, Sissi, Ulrich, Yumi, Milly, Timiya, and 'Mintasia'. At Baachek's nod he left.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Jeremie walked a few feet, stopped, opened his mouth to say something and closed it again.

Ritanalia stepped forward. "Welcome to our family. I am Ritanalia, Baachek's wife, and this is our daughter, Aelitette."

Everyone shifted nervously, shock evident on the newcomers faces.

"Ritanalia, please take Aelitette inside and begin dinner?"

As soon as the two had cone everyone exploded at once.

"Your wife! Your _child?_"

When Jeremie began to speak, everyone became eerily calm.

"When I first became Baachek, I refused to follow the empress, or worship the High Lord. I waited for as long as I could, until I believed that no one would come for me. It was then that I met Ritanalia and we became. . ."

"How long ago?" Aelita asked.

"Six years." He answered hesitantly. "You have to understand, Ae-Mintasia, it's been fifteen years."

"Not for us! Okoyl exists on a separate temporal plane from Lyoko and Earth! It's only been one night for us!"

"Earth and Lyoko are fictional places. They don't exist." He turned. "Don't worry, you'll learn. After dinner Aelitette will help you settle." He turned and left the room. "The kitchen is this way."

Cara sat in the caves, in front of the interface. She was working diligently, trying to find the information the Lyokans would need.

A screen popped up suddenly.

RESTRICTED ACCESS

"Restricted, eh?" She moved the screen to make room for another. "We'll see about that."

Another restricted access page, came up, along with a handprint. She placed her hand over it.

CARA

A diagnostic came up.

"Oh-!" She gasped and dialed Mela.

"Come on," Aelitette said, "I'll help you create your rooms."

"So, um, how old _are _you?" Yumi asked, still trying to wrap her mind around the whole 'Jeremie is married' concept.

"Five." She stopped. "Put your hand out, Yu-mi." She struggled pronounching the name.

Yumi glanced behind her. Ulrich nodded, so she held her hand out.

A strange looking interface appeared under it. Her name flashed across the screen and it disappeared. A door-ish thing flashed into existence.

"The others will have rooms of their own." She closed her eyes. "_Split!_" She wispered. She began to shimmer before splitting in two. "That works?" She sounded surprised.

"It did." The other said. "I'll stay here. Take the others." She paused. "What am I supposed to call you?"

"I don't know. See you in. . .say, an hour?"

"Alright. Goodbye. Come on in, Yumi."

"What do you want?" Mela said when she answered.

"You have them all, don't you?"

"What if I do?"

Cara chose not to answer that question. "Am I allowed in Malo-Swamp?"

"In the Swamp? Yes. My castle? No."

Cara sighed. "Can you meet me in Malo-Swamp then?"

"No tricks."

"None. Just wanting to talk. It's important."

"I'm free in four hours."

"Then I will meet you in four hours, near the Malo-Swamp Tower. "She closed the connection. "I only hope it woun't be too late."

Aelitette led Aelita to her room, as Aelita wasthe last. As they tepped inside Aelitette said softly. "He named me after you, didn't he?"

"Probably." Aelita said after a second.

"He misses you. I can hear him and mother talking about you at night. She's jealous."

"Why? She's the one who. . ." She trailed off. "Um, nevermind."

"You want him back?"

"Of course I do. It's only been one day for me."

"Don't worry. I don't mind. Mother might, but, I'll be happy." She paused. "We sohould go meet the others now."

"Go ahead. I'm going to have a talk with. . .your father."

"Alright. But you should know, they didn't."

"What?"

"What you were thinking before. They didn't. He refused." She turned and was gone.

Aelita left the room in search of Baachek.

"Where's Ae - Mintasia?" Sissi asked.

"She didn't want to come." Aelitatte said. "I always wanted a sister." She said thoughtfully. "Lets play a game."

"I'll play with you." Milly said. "What games do you have?"

"I'll play with you too," Timiya said, sounding bored.

Sissi, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd exchanged bored glances.

Aelitette smiled. "Come on, it's fun. It's called _H'rosh'tauri_, the _Rosh'taur_ use it to fight the High Lord."

"_Rosh'taur_?" Ulrich asked.

"The Resistance. There are very few of us."

"You've got our attention. What do you want?"

"Help." Aelitte said simply.

Cara sat peacefully, cross-legged next to the Malo-Swamp Tower. Mela stepped out of the tower.

"I am here."

"Good." Cara said, not opening her eyes. "Put your hand on the interface and read the diagnostic."

"You said no tricks!"

"It's no trick." Cara said. "There's little time left. Please?"

Mela sighed. "I'll humor you, Sister."

She stretched her hand out onto the interface.

"Jeremie!" Aelita said. "Listen to me!"

"My name is Baachek." He replied stubbornly.

"Jeremie. . ."

"The person you know has been dead for fifteen years."

"I don't believe that."

"You should."

"I don't think you believe it either."

"He's dead."

Aelita sighed, and switched tactics.

"Do you remember Kadic?"

"Nonsense word."

"It was a school." She continued as if she hadn't heard. "In France. On Earth. You were-"

"Stop!" He said in such a commanding voice she faltered for a second before continuing.

"You were a boarder there. Ulrich and Odd shared a dorm down the hall. Yumi lived at home. Remember?"

"Steop speaking!"

"The factory was on the other side of the canal. Milly and Timiya were the school reporters. Remember!"

Jeremie lifted the zap-stick.

"Xana would attack, and you'd come to Lyoko. You'd stop him. Xana tried to break your group us so many times, but it never worked. Remember!"

"Don't make me do this." He said, bracketing the staff.

"Remember! Remember our names! Ulrich Stern! Yumi Ishiyama! Odd Della Robbia! Remember!"

He took a step toward her, staff raised.

"Remember! Sissi Delmas. Milly Solovieff. Timiya Diop! Remember!"

"All you speak is nonsense. Words, storeis, lies. . ."

"No! Listen to me! Remember who these people are! Remember who _you_ are!"

"I know who I am. I am Baachek of Malo-Swamp. I have been Baachek of Malo-Swamp for fifteen years."

"You're Jeremie Belpois! Or if you're not then he's in there somewhere! Jeremie Belpois." She repeated.

"I've threatened you with the worst possible punishment. Yet you still speak. Explain yourself."

"I don't believe you can carry out your threats."

He lifted the stick to about her forehead.

"I think that there's a tiny piece of you that's still the Jeremie I knew in there. And it won't let you hurt me."

The stick crackled with energy. . .

"And I have faith in you, Jeremie."

. . .and landed harmlessly on the ground.

"I know." He collapsed onto the couch. "Help me. . .?"

"I will." She said, sitting next to him. "I will. I promise. But for now, just sleep. Just sleep. I'll sit here and talk to you, I promise. Sleep, I promise. . ."

Mela had turned sheet white.

"But that means-"

Cara nodded.

"But it's impossible."

"Nevertheless, it is true."

"There isn't any way to reverse it?"

"One way." Cara opened one eye to watch Mela's reaction. "But it is dangerous. There's no way of knowing if we'll come out of this unscathed."

"And if we don't there'll be nothing left to scath."

Cara tensed for a moment then relaxed. "It doesn't appear we have a choice."

"The tell me how." Mela said.

"I'll tell you everything you need to knkow. And then you can decide."

"Help?" Yumi asked. "What kind of help?"

"The _Rosh_'_taur_ are failing, and my people are dying."

"The Okoylans couldn't be healthier!" Odd exclaimed.

"Yet they are dying. We're missing something. Something that must have been there once. Perhaps I inherited it from Father."

"Aelitette, what are you talking about?"

"There's something missing in us. Or in them. The _Rosh'taur_ are different." She sighed. "Nobody even notices how different we are. That we have what they don't. They don't listen when we try to tell them. I can feel the emptyness is then. We all can."

"Aelitette!" Sissi said crossly. "Stop talking in riddles! I have Telepathy, tell me what they're missing!"

"You won't find it. Even if I told you what to look for. There isn't any left. Maybe, deep inside Father, there's still a tiny bit left."

"This isn't helping us Aelitette. If you want our help you have to tell us. What is severyone missing?"

"Hope." She took a deep breath. "Hope that things could be better. That we won't have to serve the High Lord forever. Everyon'es just given up." She paused. "It must have been a long time ago. Years and years ago, that Meal came. And fear and pain and misery took all the hope away. If you are who and what you say you are, then maybe we have reason to hold onto ours."

"We're who and what we say." Ulrich said grimly.

"Then help us. We're all locked up in a dark room, afraid to turn on the lights because we're afreaid of what we might find waiting for us." She shivered. "It's lonely, being the only ones with hope."

"Come here." Sissi said gently. "You're not the only one with hope. We're all here with you." She knelt and hugged the little girl.

"B-but-"

"Hush." Sissi said, stroking the childs hair. "Hush. It'll be alright. Just be quiet and let me rock you to sleep." She picked the child up and began to rock slowly from side to side. "I'll even sing you a lullabye, just like my mother used to."

And in the silence of the Okoylan night, she sange them all to sleep.

_Lullabye, and good night. . ._


	12. The Road To Recovery

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'After All This Time'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: The Road To Recovery

By. Tate Icasa

Mela had turned two shades lighter by the time Cara had finished.

"A ghoulish prospect, isn't it?"

"Are we really going to die if we don't go through with it?" Mela whimpered.

Cara nodded solomnly.

"Well, then," She gulped. "I'll send for them. I'll send for them. Just, give me a minute to, to recover my composure."

Yumi woke to a strange beeping. She glanced around the room.

Odd, Ulrich, Milly, and Timiya, and herself of course, formed a strange circle around Sissi, still cradling Aelitette in her arms.

The beeping persisted and Yumi stretched.

"Hey, guys, wake up." She yawned.

"Mmm. Just five more minutes. . ." Odd murmured, turning over. No one else even moved.

"That's it." Yumi said. "GET UP ALL OF YOU NOW!"

Everyone bolted upright.

"Huh? Yumi? What is it?" Ulrich asked, still half-asleep.

"I have no idea, since none of us can actually use the interface. I was hoping Aelitette could find out what that beeping was."

"Oh, right," Aelitette said. "Yumi, came stand behind me. You understand more than I do." She walked over to the interface.

Jeremie woke seconds before Aelita did.

"What's beeping?" Aelita said.

"Summoning." He said with a frown. He walked over to the interface. "To the Malo-Swamp Tower, it appears." He searched the list. "Look at this." He said softly.

"What?" She joined him.

Underneath a list of familiar names, four amazing words stuck out.

Underneath Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama. Underneath Odd Della Robbia and Elisabeth Delmas. Underneath Milly Solovieff and Timiya Diop. Even Underneath Ritanalia and Aelitette of Malo-Swamp.

There, underneath them all. At the end of the summons.

Aelita Lyoko.

Jeremie Belpois.

"I don't want to die." Meal said for about the hundredth time in the last half hour.

"You won't die." Cara said. It was the same conversation.

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't die?" Cara suggested dryly.

"How do you know?"

"I don't."

"Don't you have any fear of death?"

"Apparently not."

The conversation would end there. At least until it began again.

"I'm not going." Jeremie said finally.

"Why not?" Aelita asked.

"I'm not going near her again." He shuddered.

"Well, I am. I'll go alone, if I have to." She drew a deep breath. "There's a saying I once read in one of your Earth books. 'Things always get worse before they get better.'" She paused. "Thiss could be the first step."

"I'm not going." He repeated. "I'm not."

Aelita sighed. "Ok. Fine." She said, calmly. She turned and began to walk. "I'll gind out why she used our real names myself." She shrugged. "See you later."

"NO!" The word exploded out of him, knocking him back against the wall. "No! You don't. . .you don't know what she's capable of." He stopped. "You can't fight her Aelita. Belive me, I tried." He sand into a sitting position. "If we go, she'll get her hooks into us again. And this time I don't think there'll be anyone left to bring us back."

"Do you think ignoring the summons will help?" She asked.

He didn't answer for a long while. When he did he looked up at her sandly. "I don't know anymore." He got up slowly. "Alright, we'll go."

"Well?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know. We've been summoned to a tower."

"A tower?" Milly asked. "What's an O-ko-yl-an Tower like?"

"Jeremie and Aelita were the only ones who've gotten close enough to tell." Sissi said.

"Wo, do we go?" Timiya asked.

"I guess so." Odd said. "I don't see as we have a chice. Besides, we need to get to Mela anyway."

"I agree." Said Aelitette. "I can show you the way to the Malo-Swamp tower, come on."

"I don't want to die." Mela said again.

"You won't." And before Mela could reply she opened her eyes, stretched, and stood up. "They're here."

"Finally." Meal breathed. "I promise, I won't hurt you." She called.

Slowly, hesitantly, they came near.

"Cara!" Ulrich said.

"Hello, Lyokans. And Ritanalia and Aelitette." She added. "Come. Sit. Let me tell you a story."

Aelitette cocked her head and sat. The others hesitated before sitting down.

"A long time ago, there were only two virtual beings. Your Lyokan Aelita, and an Okoylan princess. By any terms, they were sisiters. But Lyokan Aelita stayed safely in her world. She used the information she was permitted to see. She never tried to break into restricted areas. Our Okoylan princess, on the other hand, was less than cautious. She was always breaking into restricted areas. There was no one to tell her not to. But one day the princess found an area she couldn't get into. So she made her way to the control room. But she discovered too late that it was a trap. Her consciousness was split into two bodies. One of light and one of darkness, because she _was_ only one consciousness. What she hadn't realized, was that that split, if not undone, would destroy both of the halves."

"That's very interesting and all." Ulrich siad. "But I don't see what it has to do with us."

"Do you know that princesses name? Her name was-"

"Her name was Caramela, wasn't it?" Aelitette asked softly.

For a minute time seemed to freeze, and they all felt a chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the temperature.

And then Cara spoke, and Mela spoke with her.

"Yes."

And Cara spoke alone.

"There is a reversal. But it requires a Telepath and a Dual-Consciousness."

"That's Sissi," Ulrich said. "and. . .?"

"Me." Jeremie said, just realizing it.

"Are you sure about that?" Yumi asked.

"Y-yeah. Jeremie is not Baachek and Baachek is not Jeremie, and we're both idiots because we didn't realize it before." He smiled weakly. "Besides, if I'm reading that Interface correctly, if I'm wrong, the process just won't work."

"And if you're right?" Aelita asked.

He smiled again. "We'll have to find out." He turned back to Cara. "I'm ready. Tell me what to do."

Cara motioned. "Sit down, over here. Mela, beside me."

Once they had complied Cara motioned to Sissi.

"Sit between us."

Sissi sat and closed her eyes, letting Telepathic instainct take over. On of her hands went to Jeremie/Baachek fingers spread across his forehead. The other went to Cara and Mela, one finger on each of their heads. She gasped at the mental contact.

A strange glow spread from her head to her fingertips. Jeremie/Baachek, Cara and Mela awere encased in a blinding light.

_Sissi_

_I arched my back, because it felt natural, while holding four consciousness's in my one body. I could vaugly sense that the other three bodies were. . .I guess you'd have to call it destructuralizing. Not a word, I know, but that's what hapened._

_The bodies would have, had anyone been able to watch them, seemed to halfway devirtualize into wire-like frame-work, and then they seemed to deform until it only just resembled a person. Destructuralized._

_It's hard to hold three other consciousness's, keep your dominant, and shuffle the other three into the correct bodies. While also splitting one, and combining two more._

_It's hard to keep your sanity._

_But I did, somehow, operating solely on instinct._

_I melded Cara and Mela's consciousness and filtered _that_ into the separate person-shape. I managed to hold It there while I eased Jeremie and Baacheks consciousness's and filtered them into sperate person-shapes._

_I was aware, as I finished, that the bodies re-structuralized_. _I was exausted, too exausted to open my eyes._

Jeremie, Baachek, and Caramela opened their eyes when Sissi's hands fell back into her lap.

Caramela looked down at her hands. "I'm on person again." And she was. She had long black hair with beautiful silver stripes. Her outfit was gray and white. She had pale, almost milk-white skin, and large, dark eyes.

Jeremie had back his younger body, minus the fifteen years spent as Baachek.

And Baachek looked the way he had when they'd returned.

The others were sleeping nearby.

"Oh, ow," Caramela said, her voice musical, "I feel like I've been through a blender." She stretched, keeping one hand on her head.

Aelitette stirred and woke up.

"Hey!" She said, shaking Yumi, "Hey, it worked!"

"Huh?" Yumi said blearily, waking up.

Slowly, the others woke up.

"Jeremie?" Aelita asked tenatively.

"Aelita." He said in return, smiling sadly and looking away.

"Jeremie!" She said happily, running forward and hugging him.

"And Ritanalia hugged Baachek. Odd was at Sissi's side in a second.

Yumi and Ulrich stood side by side, holding hands and beaming because it had worked.

Milly, Timiya, Aelitette, and Caramela stood off to the side.

"Is Sissi going to be Ok?" Timiya asked.

"I think she's just tired." Milly responded.

After the happy reunion, Jeremie and the others decided to go find the program. After one last Malo-Swamp dinner. Even Caramela joined them.

They thought it would be best to let Aelitette join them, if she wanted to.

"No," She said, "I'm sorry, I can't go with you," She smiled. "We Okoylans, the others at least, don't believe things can get better even when it already has. I'm going to stay and halp. But there's one more thing." They looked at her expectantlyly. She turned until she was facing Aelita. "It's confusing, having names so similar. You can have it back now, you aren't dead."Aelita looked at her puzzeledly, but Aelitette had already turned to her parents. "I hope you don't mind that I'm changing my name."

"What are you changing it to?" Sissi asked.

"You're going to like it." Aelitette said. "It's really perfect for me." She smiled. "I think, maybe, it's been my name forever, and no one ever called me it, because they didn't know."

"Riddles, Aelitette," Milly said, "Please don't talk in riddles. Tell us what you're changing your name to."

Aelitette smiled, and suddenly appeared too wise for her five years. And she spoke one word, simply. One word that echoed into infinity and shone into the darkest night. And then she repeated it.

"Hope."


	13. Collection V, Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'The Road To Recovery'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection V

Part One

By. Tate Icasa

"This is ridiculous," Odd said, "How long have we been walking?"

"I don't have a watch, Odd," Yumi said. "I'd guess about an hour."

"An hour?"

"Yes, Odd, and hour." Siss said.

"You know, sixty minutes." Ulrich said, just to bug odd. Then he glanced behind him at Jeremie and Aelita, walking almost twently paces behind them.

"He'll be fine." Yumi said, squeezing his hand, "He just needs a little time to recover."

Ulrich nodded. "Hey, what's that?" He pointed.

Everone looked. "I think it's a tower." Sissi said inally. She turned around. 'Hey, I think we found it!" She called back.

Aelita and Jeremie exchanged glances and ran until they joined the others.

"That's the tower." Aelita confirmed. "Ready?"

He looked at her, then at the others, then the tower, and back to her. "Yeah." He said finally. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The world inside the Okoylan tower was huge. Great expanses of greenish liquid covered most of the ground. Thin, steep ledged paths and rocks dotted the landscape.

"Let's go."

They navigated their way across the swamp, qucikly and in silence, until Aelita slipped on one of the tocks.

"Whoa!"

"Aelita!" Jeremie shouted, reaching to save her. He was too late, and all her did was tumble in after her.

"This stuff could be poisonous." Aelita said, as they waded to the shore. "I can't feel my feet."

They collapsed side y side on the shore.

"I can't move." He said.

"Me neither." Aelita said. "I think we found Xana's trap."

"I think you're right."

"Do you think the others will find us?"

"I don't know."

The others were standing around.

"There are no monsters." Yumi observed after a while.

"I know. I wonder why not."

"Maybe Jeremie and Aelita are walking into a trap."

"Bet I can find out." Sissi said. She put her hands on her temples. _Jeremie? Aelita? Are you Ok?_

_Sissi? Are you communicationg telepathically with us?_

_Yes. How are you?_

_We can't move. We fell into swamp water. We got out, but the water is poisonous._

_Um, oh. Well hold tight, we'll come and get you._

She released the beam.

"They're. . .alright, considering. They fell into poisonous swamp water and are paralyzed."

"Ok, then. We go in, get them out, and then. . .?"

"Hopefully, they'll have ideas on that."

Milly put a clawed hand on the tower wall, then stepped in.

"Hey, this isn't like a Lyokan tower!" Sissi said. "There's a path."

"Then we follow it." Ulrich said decisively, stepping onto the path and out of the tower.

"Wow." Yumi said, looking around.

"Look, there they are." Sissi said, pointing.

"Hey, are you guys ok?" Timiya asked.

"We're fine." Aelita said. "We just can't move."

"Ok," Yumi said, taking charge, "Sissi and Milly, go back to the Malo-Swamp village and get Hope and Caramela. Odd and Timiya, go outside and watch for monsters. Ulrich, you and I are going to stay here and make sure _they_ don't get worse."

"You heard her," Ulrich growled when no one moved. "Get moving!"

Still hesitant, they moved out of the tower toward their respective sections.

"I don't suppose you can tell me why we need Caramela _and_ Hope?" Milly asked.

"I'd guess that Caramela can heal Jeremie and Aelita, and Hope can get the program."

"Why did Yumi split you and Odd up on this assignment?"

"You and I got along best with Hope." Sissi said. "Why?"

"I don't know. I just don't want it to be silent. This place gives me the creeps, here outside the village."

"Oh, well you're going to hate the Volcanoe region then."

"Why, what's that?"

"Um. . .it's like the mountains of Lyoko, except that they can explode, or disintigrate into lava, without warning."

"Sounds. . .interesting."

"So, why don't you tell me what life at Kadic has been like since we disappeared?"

"What's _that_?" Timiya asked, pointing at something in the distance.

Odd glanced up. "Dragonfly." He said tersely. "Get ready for a big battle, these things take forever to kill."

"I thought there was no death on Okoyl?"

"No _human_ death. The Monsters are different, get ready."

Timiya pulled her paper-thin weapon out. "Ready."

The dragonfly loomed over them. It shot a saser down, exposing the gridwork beneath, before Okoyl automatically corrected and filled in the missing space.

"Powerful." Odd said, handspringing away. "I don't know how powerful yet. This is only our second encounter."

"Oh, well then. . .how do you suggest we _beat_ it?"

"Uh. . .we learn as we go?"

Timiya sighed and shook her head. "Follow my lead." She whispered before sprinting toward the dragonfly.

"Timiya, wait!" Odd called.

But his warning went unheeded. Timiya stood directly in the center of the beasts shadow. She threw the weapon into the air, and it split the beast's underside, a hole carved through, which she sjumped through. She caught her weapon while still in the air and flipped forward, landing on it's head, like a horses back. "NOW!" She called.

Odd shot three arrows, but they all missed, causing the dragonfly to dodge through the air, jerking wildly.

She turned in her seat to the section behind her that connected the head to the body, the hard exoskeleton moving out of the way, together, apart, together, apart, each time it jerked. And then, apart, and she thrust the weapon between the cracks, pushing it down until the head actually disconnected and fell, with her sitting on it. She released the wapon, pushed herself off the head, tuck and roll to a stop, reached up to snag the weapon out of the air, all just in time to see the body crash into the ground three times before exploding.

She tucked the weapon away as she walked over to Odd, who was staring at her in awe.

"How'd you do that?"

"Animals are my specialty." She explained. "After journalism, of course." She shrugged. "Besides, that's how you dissect a dragonfly. I tried it once, didn't work quite as well." She raised her eyebrow. "And anyway, how long could _you_ survive without a head?"

Odd scratched his head. "Point taken."

"Are you still ok?" Yumi asked.

"Yumi! Nothing is wrong with us. We're only paralyzed."

"Sorry." She paused. "It just seems like it'd be a bad idea to let you doze off."

"You don't think we'd wake up?" Aelita asked.

"To be honest? No, not really." Yumi.

"You might be right." Jeremie admitted. "We really don't know anything about this poison."

"You don't sound worried." Aelita said.

"Should I?" He asked. "There's not supposed to be death here."

"On Okoyl maybe. Here in the tower? Jeremie, we just don't know. We could _die!_" Aelita said. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"Let's not talk about death anymore." Ulrich said quickly.

_It should._ Jermie thought. _It should and it doesn't. I wonder why?_

"Well then, what _do_ we talke aout, huh?" Yumi asked.

"Nothing." Aelita said. "Why don't you and Ulrich go scout around. I'd like to talk to Jeremie alone."

Sissi held out her hand. "This pool wasn't here before." She said, making sure neither she nor Milly had touched the swamp water. "How do we get across?" The pool stretched onto the edge of the platform.

"I've got an idea." Milly said. She jumped back, onto her hands, and launched up into the air, catching one of the thick vines hanging above with her clawas and swinging up.

"Milly, what are you doing?"

"Don't worry, I'll be back!" Milly called over her shoulder as she darted away on her hands and feet down the vine.

Sissi sat down and waited.

Milly leapt down from the vine at the village outskirts and went straight to Hope's home.

"Milly!" Ritanalia said. When she let her in. "What are you doing here?" I thought you and your friends had gone to save 'Earth.'"

"Hey, Rita'. Yeah, we did go, but, um, Jeremie and Aelita fell into a poisnous swamp and we need Hope's help."

"Absolutely not!" Ritanalia exclaimed.

But Hope had been listening. "I'm going, mother."

Ritanalia grabbed her daughters arm. "You most certainly are not!"

Hope closed her eyes. "_Split. _Split. Split. Split. Split. Split."

Ritanalia was startled into letting go. The six Hope''s stared at her passively. One of them jumped up onto Milly's shoulders.

"Run." She said.

Milly didn't question the girl. She ran through and out of the town, and climbed one of the trees until they could sit on one of the vines.

"The others were just decoys. They're set to disappear within the minutes." She looked down. "This is how you got to the village? Clever."

"Listen, Hope, we don't need any riddles, ok? We need you to get the program program for us, an dthat's all."

"I understand." She paused. "You're different. Than the other Lyokan's, I mean."

"What does that mean?" Milly asked, almost angily.

"You treat me different. You treat me like an adult now, and they still treat me like a little kid."

"Would you like me to _stop _treating you like an adult?"

"If I asked you to, do you think you _could_ stop?"

Milly opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it closed again. "No, probably not."

"Good. I wouldn't ask you to stop anyway. It's nice geting respect. Is Sissi motherly to you? I know that legally she's three years older than you. Does she baby you?"

"She used to," Milly smiled, "Before either of us knew about the virtual worlds."

They had reached the other side of the swamp.

Milly hung down and droped and Hope followed suit.

"Sissi, we're back." Milly said.

"You got Hope." Sissi observed.

"Well, yeah." Mily said. "Let's see if we can find Caramela."

"She'll be at the castle." Hope said.

"Then let's go."

"So," Timiya said. "You want to know about the two years you missed?"

"That'd be nice."

"Ok, then." She backflipped and landed on one hand, speaking as she balenced there. "Probably the biggest change was when your parents moved up."

"Our parents?"

"Yes, your parents. All of them. They're all living near Yumi's house. Just incase you come back. That was about two months after you disappeared."

"There's another one." Odd said, pointing to an approaching dragonfly. "Get ready."

"You understand how to beat it?"

"Yeah, I got it." He said, leaping into action.

"Jermie, what's _wrong_ with you!" Aelita asked once they were alone.

"Um, I'm paralyzed, Aelita, duh."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Pretend I don't." He said, ust to be difficult, and knowing full well what she meant. "Explain it to me."

She sighed. "You're different."

"We're all unique."

"Jeremie Belpois, you stop being difficult right now, or I'll. . ."

"You'll what? Find a way out of paralysis? I hope you can."

"Are you being sarcastic?" She asked, irritated. Jeremie had never been sarcastic with her before.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"This is hopeless." She moaned.

"No, it's not." He said. Then, "I'm sorry, Aelita. I'm just scared."

"Of dying? I thought you didn't think we _could_ die."

"No, Aelita. We could die. We could very feasibly die. But that's not why I'm afreaid. I'm not afreaid to die. I don't think I even _care_ whether I live or die. And it scares me."

"That scares me too." She said. "Promise me you won't give up and die on me."

"Aelita. . ."

"_Promise me!_"

". . .I promise."

"Good."

And for the longest time they lay there in sielence, staring straight up into the hazy sky.

Ulrich and Yumi walked side by side along the swamp shore.

"You're aware," Yumi said, "That as of now, we're the only couple in the group that hasn't had a first kiss yet?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason." She said quickly. "Just thinking out loud." She stopped, realizeing how that sounded. "I mean, um, just trying to start a conversation."

He nodded and they both looked in the other direction, blushing.

After a long moment of silence, Ulrich glanced back at her.

"Hey, Yumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you really bring that up?"

"Well, um, uh, well, Jeremi and Aelita said these worlds were romantic. . ."

"Yumi. . ."

". . .and we _are_ going out. . ."

"Yumi!"

". . .so I was thinkg that. . .well. . ."

"_Yumi!_"

"Yeah?"

"If you want me to kiss you, you have to shut up."

"Oh." She said, and she shut up.

And they left Aelita and Jeremie alone for a very long time.


	14. Collection V, Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection V, Part One'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection V

Part Two

By. Tate Icasa

_And they left Jeremie and Aelita alone for a very long time._

Which turned out to be a pretty bad idea.

"Jeremie, I feel strange." Aelita said. "I can feel my body again."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Do you suppose that means the paralysis is over?"

"There's only one way to be sure." Jeremie said, and sat up. No thought, he just sat up. She sat up a few seconds later. They stared at each other for a while laughing in relief.

Suddenly, Jeremie got up and started walking.

"Jeremie, where are you going?" Aelita asked, following.

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"If I were the one moving my body, I could tell you, but I'm not."

"What do you mean, you're not?" She cried, planning on stopping to stomp her foot. But she couldn't. "Then waht is?" She asked, realizing that it was a pretty stupid question.

"Xana, probably. The poison must've given him the ability to control us."

"Well how do you suppose we get out of this situation?"

"I don't know. Relax and hope the effect is temporary?"

"How about we scream for Ulrich and Yumi?" Aelita suggested.

"That works too." He said, sounding almost disappointed.

They opened their mouths to shout and no sound came out.

After a while they both stopped trying.

"Well that didn't work." Aelita said.

Jeremie didn't respond.

"Jermemie?"

In fact, his eyes looked pretty glazed over. He gave no sign whatsoever that he had even heard her speak. She bit her lip in frustration.

"Jeremie? Can you hear me?"

He kept walking eyes fixed straight ahead.

_Aelita_

_I had a pretty good idea of what had happened._

_Xana, who, of course, was controlling us, didn't want us to call for help. But we're too strong for him to control all of us, all the time. So he'd set us talk. Until we'd tried to call for help._

_He'd taken control totally, for a little while. We were both strong enough that it got out of the way so we could talk._

_So Jeremie must not be fighting._

_The only question now was why. Why would Jeremie _not_ fight for control of his own body?_

_And the more I thought about it, the more it actually made sense._

_He hadn't been fully in control of his own body for fifteen years. The last sonscious decision he'd made was about five years ago when he'd stopped Baachek from. . .um, I'm not going to think about that. Yeah. Good idea._

_If Jeremie wasn't going to fight on his own, I'd have to force his hand._

"Jeremie," She said in a sad, almost pouty vioce, "You promised you wouldn't give up."

"Be quiet, girl," he said in a destorted, and obviously Xana controlled, voice.

"But you _promised_."

"_Silence_!" He commanded, "I demand silence."

"Why? Do you think my voice can actually make him fight you again?"

"Foolsih girl. He'll never fight me now." He laughed. "He's too tired and unprepared. He has no chance and he knows it."

"He promised he wouldn't give up."

"He lied."

"Jeremie wouldn't lie to me." She said. "He wouldn't. And he promised."

"He gave up years ago, when he fully surrendered to Baachek."

"I don't believe you."

"I order you to be silent."

"Why? If you don't think I can make a difference, what does it matter?"

He whirled on her, hands flying above his head and crackling with electricity. He brought them down toward her head.

His face contorted. "No! Don't hurt her!" And it was his own voice. His hands swerved suddenly, arrowly missing her and hitting himself.

"We should probably go check on Jeremie and Aelita." Yumi said finally.

"Yeah, probably."

Neither of them moved.

"Let's go." Yumi said, and started walking. She stopped. "Um, do you know how we go here?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I think we're lost."

"Oh." He sat down. "I heard somewhere that if you're lost you should stay put, so the searchers can find you."

"What searchers? Jeremie and Aelita are paralyzed. Odd and Timiya are outside, probably busy fighting monsters. Sissi and Milly are whereever. Who's looking?"

"If we find our way back, we're going to be in so much trouble."

"Yeah. So."

"So. Ok, I've got an idea."

He triplicated. Then he triplicated her. And the triplicates rushed uff to look. They both understood that the triplicates might not come back, if they ran into trouble or found nothing. And if they did come back, they'd know hwere to go."

Milly stepped into the tower.

"You know how to travel these?" Sissi asked.

"Only what you guys told me."

"Ok, I'll guide you." She took one of Milly's hands.

"Me too." Hope said, taking the other.

They leaned oer the platform and into the data stream. After a couple of seconds Milly slid her hands out of theirs and held them to her sides, spiraling downwards and smiling.

"Milly!" Sissi shouted. And it seemed to crack and fragment the datastream. They all fell in opposite directions.

Sissi didn't remember blacking out, but she woke up on a platform. She briefly closed her eyes to mentally locate Hope and Milly. They were unconscious, and missing, but safe. Sissi sat up and looked around. The walls of the tower were bluish. She rushed from the tower.

Mountains. Lyoko.

"Oh!" She gaslped. Implications hit her at a shocking speed. The time barrier. Everyone else was till on Okoyl.

She closed her eyes again.

_Yumi? Can you hear me?_

_Sissi! I finally, some good news! Where are you?_

_Lyoko._

_Lyoko? How-?"_

_I have no idea. The time barrier, Yumi, what happened to it? I don't know how long I've been here. How long has it been for you?_

_Since I sent you away? Only a few hours._

_Ok, so, somehow we're caught in the time barrier._

_We?_

_Hope and Milly are probably here smoewhere. So how are you?_

_Not quite so great. Ulrich and I are lost._

_Lost? How do you get lost watching two paralyzed people?_

_Um, they wanted to talk alone, so we went into a forest and got. . .distracted._

Sissi laughed. _Ok, ok, I'll be right back._

After a second the electricity faded, and Jeremie was still standing.

"Are. . .are you ok?" Aelita asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

She shook her head. "Didn't even hit me. That didn't hurt at all?"

"Not enough to make a difference." She looked at him strangely. "You build up a tolerance for it after a while." His hand went involuntarily to the place the shock-collar had been for almost sixteen years. "Every time she said kneel and I said no." He laughed bitterly. "By the ninth year it took almost a day at high power."

"Jeremie, I'm so sorry-"

"Forget it. I think the electricity shorted out the poison."

"Good." She said. "That's one of us, at least. I wonder how Xana channeled that electricity through you, anyway."

"That wasn't Xana's doing."

She blinked.

"It was a side effect of the shock-collar." He held up his hands and watched the electricity flow between them.

"Do you think you could short out the poison in me?"

"I hit myself rather than hit you."

"I'd rather get zapped by electricity than have Xana control me."

"I know." He said. "But I can't. I just can't."

"Oh." She said sadly. "Then can you show me how it works?"

"I guess so." He said suspisiously. The electricity crackled in his hands. And before he realized what she was doing she had taken them firmly in her own.

"Aelita" He stopped the electricity instantly and she collapsed into his arms.

_Yumi, I'm back._

_Great! Did you find them?_

_That's the bad news. There's something blocking me. I know they're alive and not in any immediate danger. I'll contract you if I learn anything more. I'm going to try to find Hope and Milly._

_Good luck._

_Thanks._

Yumi looked around. Ulrich was standing a few feet away.

She walked over.

"Sissi telepathically contacted me." She said.

"Oh, yeah? Well, what'd she say?"

"Jeremie and Aelita aren't in any danger but she can't contact them."

"We start walking?"

"Ok."

Odd landed next to Timiya.

"That was great!" He said. "None of our other fights have been so much fun!"

"Fun?" She exclaimed. "You call that fun?"

"I call almost anything fun."

"Great." She said. "I'm stuck out here with an idiot. Milly, how I envy you."

Milly looked aorund. The tower walls were different and she was alone.

The last thing she remembered was Sissi calling her name in the data stream. That must have disrupted something. She stepped out of the tower.

Lyoko Polar Region.

Great.

_Milly or Hope, are you conscious yet?_

_This is Milly. I'm conscious._

_Good. Where are you?_

_This is gonna sound weird, but I'm on the Lyokan Polar Region._

_That doesn't sound too weird, since I'm in the moutains. I'll meet you._

Hope blinked.

There was no one there. She stepped out of the tower. The ground was flat and orange rocks dotted the landscape.

"This must be the desert." She said. "Alright then, let's see what we can find out."

She stepped back inside, and accessed the interface.

Aelita opened her eyes. She glanced upward, realizing that her head was in Jeremie's lap.

"Jeremie?"

"Aelita?" His head jerked toward her. His face was wet, as if he'd been crying. She smiled at him. "I. . .I thought you were dead." She said.

"Sorry."

"No. I'm sorry." He said. "All you did was bring me back. All the way back." He helped her up. "I want to show you something.

He threw the electricity into the air, until it took on a mind of it's own. It pulsed aorund them, never quite close enough to hurt. So they danced through the storm, letting the lightning course through their veins as blood. . .


	15. Collection V, Part Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection V, Part Two'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection V

Part Three

By. Tate Icasa

Aelita yawned and stretched.

"What happened?" She asked Jeremie, who was sitting just a couple feet away. "We were dancing in the lightning and then. . .?"

"I don't know. I think we just blacked out."

"I suppose we should go find the data chip now."

"Yeah."

They began to walk around the swamp.

Sissi stepped out of the tower. Milly was staring at something in the distance.

"What is it?" Sissi asked. She glanced up.

"That tower is red." Milly said, pointing.

"What!" Sissi looked again. "If that isn't just what we need right now."

"Why? What does that mean?"

"It means that Xana is attacking Earth." She sighed. "I'm going to contact everyone I can." She closed her eyes.

_Yumi?_

_Sissi? Now what? Have you found something?_

_You could say that. I need you to find Jeremie and Aelita. Xana has activated a tower here on Lyoko._

_Oh, god Sissi. Ok, we'll find them._

_Good. I'm going to try to find Hope._

'_Luck._

_You too._

She opened her eyes.

"Well?" Milly asked.

"Yumi and Ulrich are going to find Jeremie and Aelita. I'm going to see if Odd and Timiya can find Caramela." She closed her eyes again.

_Odd?_

_Sissi?_

_Odd! Ok, listen, Mily and I are on Lyoko. Don't ask how, 'cuz I don't know. Hope is probably here somewhere too. Xana has activated a tower._

_Are you sure?_

_It's glowing red and I see pulsations. Yes, I'm sure. Find Caramela and see if she can help. _

_Ok._

She severed the contact and started again.

Hope exited the tower again.

"That way." She said, pointing and began to run. There was another tower with another interface.

_Hope?_

_Yeah? _She smirked, knowing that would irk Sissi.

_Where are you? _Sissi asked briskly.

_I'd guess it was the desert of your Lyoko. Why?_

_Milly and I are in the Polar Region. Xana is attacking Earth. You need to get here now._

_Why?_

_Because you're the only one who can use the interface, so you have to deactivate the tower._

_Ok. _She turned, and was slightly startled to find a groupe of monsters surrounding the tower. She checked to see if Sissi was still there, but she wasn't.

"Oh, dear," She said. "What now?"

"Sissi want's us to find Caramela." Odd said.

"Um, ok. Where should we took?"

"The castle. Let's find a tower."

Timiya n odded and they ran until they came to a tower.

"Caramela!" Odd called as they exited.

"Yes?" Caramela asked from behind them.

Both Odd and Timiya jumped nearly a foot into the air before identifying her.

"Oh, it's you." Timiya said.

"Who were you expecting? Nevermind. I assume this is more important."

"Well, yeah." Odd said. "Sissi, Milly and Hope are on Lyoko, but still caught in the time barrier. Last we checked, Jeremie and Aelita are paralyzed, and Yumi and Ulrich are lost."

"So you need my help?"

"Duh." Timiya said.

"Alright." Caramela said. "Take me to the place you last saw Jeremie and Aelita."

Milly tpped her foot.

"What's _taking _her so long!" Sissi exclaimed.

"Maybe she's in trouble." Milly suggested.

"I'll find out." She closed her eyes.

Jeremie put his hand on the geletin wall. He looked back at Aelita.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She said, pushing her hands into the wall. "Let's go."

He nodded and stepped into the wall.

Hope watched the monsters from behind a rock. She held the edge of the rock with one hand and used the other as leverage as she crouchd.

She heard a sound behind her and turned. There was a strange plant/octopus standing there.

She cocked her head. "Hello."

The plan/octopus waved some tenticles around, but made no more to attack her.

_Hope?_ Sissi's voice appeared in her head.

_No now, Sissi._ Hope thought dismissively. She closed her mind out, silencing Sissi.

The plant/octopus moved towards her.

She put her hands out, palms up. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The plant/octopus stopped.

"What the-? I'm back?" Sissi said her eyes opening.

"Sissi?" Milly asked.

"She threw me back." Sissi said in awe. "She kicked moe out."

"Good for her." Milly said. "But is she in trouble?"

"Maybe. . .maybe. . .I wasn't there long enough to be sure."

"Alright then, let's go." Milly said, running back into the tower.

"_Milly!_" Sissi protested, chasing after her.

They came out of the tower and two crabs turned, charging their lasers.

"Oh boy." Milly muttered.

She and Sissi sprung away as they fired.

The sound caused Hope to look away from the plant/octopus. Before she realized what was happening the tenticles had her by the wrists and ankes. She gasped, but didn't struggle.

"Hope!" Milly cried, dodging another laser. She looked around. "There are too many of them!" She shouted, as a laser hit her from behind.

Hope didn't struggle, barely moved, but white light spilled out of her mouth and eyes.

It was impossible to tell exactly what happened next, but when the light faded there were no monters left, and Hope was sitting silently on the ground.

Aelita and Jeremie entered the programming room.

Aelita pressed her hand on the interface.

"What?" She said, and pressed it again. "Jeremie, can you send the program?" She said, moving out of the way.

He took her place. "Yeah, sure."

The program disappeared.

"Jeremie," She said when he'd finished. "Can you run a diagnostic on me?"

"Um, sure, why?"

"The interface wouldn't identify me." She said.

"Step up onto the platform."

She did, and he turned his attention to the interface. After the scan had been completed, she stepped down and stood behind him.

He turned slowly.

"You're not gong to like this." He warned.

"Just tell me." She said. "Why won't it identify me?"

"Ok." He said hesitantly. "You're pregnant."


	16. Extensions

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection V, Part Three'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Extensions

By. Tate Icasa

"I'm _what_!" She shrieked.

Jeremie winced. "I told you you weren't going to like it."

"But-but-"

"Aelita. Calm down."

"I _am_ calm!"

He looked at her.

"Ok, so I'm not calm." She said. She sat down on the edge of the platform. "How could I get pregnant?"

"You really don't know?" He asked, startled. How could she _not_ know something like that?

"No." She said. "I have no idea."

"It doesn't matter." He said finally. He took one of ther hands and helped her up. "Let's get out of here."

"Ok."

They stepped into the wall.

"_There_ you two are!" Yumi greeted them as they exited.

"We've been looking all over for you." Ulrich said.

"You should have checked here first." Jermie said.

"Yeah. Ok, listen." Yumi said. "Sissi, Milly and Hope are on Lyoko-"

"Lyoko? How did they get to Lyoko?" Aelita asked.

"We don't know." Ulrich said. "But there's an activated tower in the polar region."

"Last I heard, they were going to see if Hope could deactivate it." Yumi put it.

"Ok then." Jeremie said. "What about Odd and timiya?"

"They went to see if Caramela can help us." Ulrich said.

"Can we get out of here?" Aelita asked suddenly. "I don't like this place."

"Sure." Jeremie said. "Which way is the tower?"

"That way." Ulrich said, pointing

Yumi nodded.

"Let's go."

They began to run.

"What was that?" Milly asked.

"I have no idea." Sissi said. "Hope?"

"Yes?"

"What was that?" Sissi repeated, too stunned to be annoyed.

"Oh, that." Hope said standing up and shrugging. "That's just something at sometimes happens."

Sissi frowned but let it go.

"The activated tower is in the polar region." Milly said.

They entered the tower.

Odd, Timiya, and Caramela exited the tower in the swamp where Jeremi and Aelita had been.

Just then Jeremie, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich ran into view.

"Hey!" Odd called.

"Hello, Odd." Yumi said as they stopped. "Timiya, Caramela."

"Looks like you go yourselves unlost." Odd said to Yumi and Ulrich.

"Is that even a word?" Timiya asked.

Odd chose to ignore her. "And you two are unparalyzed."

"That's not a word either!"

Before anyone could respond, Caramela cut in. "I believe you needed my assistance."

"Yeah." Yumi said. "Can you get us to Lyoko without breaking the time barrier?"

"The barrier has moved." Caramel said after a while. "It has expanded to cover your Lyoko."

"Oh?"

"It's still explanding." Caramela said slowly. "It will continue to expand until it covers your Earth as well." She paused. "It shouldn't expand." She said the last worriedly.

"Could this be Xana's attack?"

"It doesn't seem harmful." Aelita said.

"No, wait." Timiya said. "It means Milly and I'll be missed sooner."

"Yeah, and?" Odd asked.

"No, I get it." Ulrich said. "More missing people. Eventually, someone will find the factory."

"Let's just deactivate the tower."

Caramela nodded. They closed teir eyes.

And opened them on Lyoko.

"Ok, where's the tower?" Ulrich asked.

"In the polar region, according to Sissi." Yumi said. "Anyone know where there's a passage tower?"

"That way." Aelita said, pointing.

Hope stood in front of the tower. She put her hands against the sides and turned to look at Sissi.

"How does this work, again?" She asked.

"I don't know." Sissi admitted. "I've never been _in_ an activated tower." She sighed. "Supposedly, there's an interface. The code is Lyoko."

Hope nodded and stepped into the tower. The platform began to light up. She followed the light to the center of the platform.

They entered the passage tower and slid into the datastrea.

Hope floated upward, becomeing slightly disoriented. She landed on the platform and put her hand on the interface.

Sissi and Milly exchaged glances. They looked up at the flickering red glose.

Her name appeared on the screen.

HOPE.

Then the interface flickered and a new screen appeared.

Identity confirmed. Access denied.

"Denied? What do you mean denied?"

Another screen popped up, filled iwht a long computer code.

She sighed and closed the interface. Then she dropped into the datastream.

The other arrived at the tower.

Sissi frowned. "Ok, Hope is in the tower." She said. "Carameal, what are you doing here?"

"Helping you."

Hope stepped out of the tower.

"What happened?" Aelita asked. "Why didn't you deactivate the tower?"

"It wouldn't let me. Access denied."

"Access denied?"

"Yeah. It gave me a computer code. Maybe one of you can make something of this." She pused. Then she repeated the code she'd seen.

"That's not any of us." Aelita said.

"I didn't htink it was." Hope said. "So, who _is_ it?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out. "Aelita said. She stepped into the tower.

After a while, she stepped back out.

"Well?"

She sighed. "The interface wouldn't identify me. However, I managed to slow Xana down for about a week."

"What good'll that do?" Ulrihch asked. "We don't know who the person who can deactivate it _is._ Or where."

"Don't worry." Aelita said. "He'll be arriving in about a week."

"How do you know that?" Yumi asked.

"Because that's how long the Okoyl/Lyoko gestation period is." She said, shrugging.

"You mean-?" Jeremie asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah."

Odd cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Mr. And Mrs. Einstein, would one of you _please_ tell the rest of us what you're going on about?"

"Sure." Aelita said. "I'm going to have a baby."

About half of their jaws dropped.

Finally, Yumi smiled. "Well. . .congratulations."

"Thanks." She said. "Well, while we wait, we might as well go get more of the program. And someone should probably go to earth to get the one we just sent."

"I'll go." Milly said.

"No." Aelita said. "It can't be anyone who's been on Earth before. That way no one will recognize them if they get caught."

"But that only leaves you, and Hope, and Caramela."

"Not me." She said. "Just in case."

"Ok, so. . .Hope or Caramela."

"I'll go." Hope said. "I'd like to see your Earth."

"I can materialize you frome here." Aelita said. "As soon as you get there, get the program from one of the other scanners. Go into the elevator, go up two levels and put on the headset next to the computer."

Hope stumbled out of the scanner and took a breath.

"Wow. Ok." She said. She picked up the program. "This must be the program."

She stepped into the elevator.

She stepped out of the elevator and glanced around.

"Computer." She said, pointing, and walked over. She crawled up into the chair. "Headset." She picked it up and put it ton. "Aelita?"

"Hope?" Yumi asked. "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you Yumi." She said. "Tell me how to read this computer."


	17. Excursions

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Extensions'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Excursions

By. Tate Icasa

". . .and that's about it." Yumi said.

"Ok, I got it." Hope said. "But what about Okoyl?"

"Okoyl is paralles to Lyoko, on a sperate plane from Earth. They don't connect the same way, so the system doesn't connect them." Jeremie explained.

"Oh."

Aelita exited the tower. "Are we going back to Okoyl?" She asked.

"Not you." Yumi said. "That's why you aren't on Earth remember. Skipping universes could be bad for the baby."

"I'll Invert the rest of us now." Caramela said. They seemed to wink out of existence.

"Hey, Aelita, wanna see if we can connect Okoyl to the system?"

"I don't see how." Aelita said.

"You re-route the system _through_ Lyoko." Hope said simply.

"What? Are you insane? Do you have _any_ idea how hard it would be to re-route that kind of system?"

"It can't be that hard." Hope said.

"You'd have to retrace file _subsystem_ patways, format, re-route. . .Hope, it's hopeless."

Hope giggled. "Wanna bet?" She put her hands on the keyboard.

They arrived in the lava region.

"Oh, great." Ulrich said. "I hate lava region."

"Jus point out the tower and I'll go alone." Jeremie said.

"Jeremie, are you crazy?" Yumi asked. "You can't survive lava region on your own."

"I can fly. Follow on the platforms if you want. Caramela, which way?"

"That way." Caramela said, pointing.

Jeremie spread his wings and lept from the platform.

"Hope?" Aelita asked. "You still here?"

"Busy." Hope said tersely, barely glancing up at the screen.

"Hope?"

"I already answered you!"

"Oh, come on Hope, answer me!"

Hope paused.

"Aelita, can you hear me?"

"Hope, this isn't funny!"

"No," Hope said. "It's not funny at all. I must have retreaced the Earth-Lyoko Audio System. Let's hook that up again." She did. "Aelita, can you hear me now?"

"What does that mean?" Aelita snapped. "And where have you been?"

"I've _been_ right here in front of the supercalculator, tracing and retracing FSP's. I accidentally disconnected the ELAS." Hope said angrily. "And it doesn't really matter where I was, now does it? You can't tell me what do you."

And with that, she disconnected the ELAS.

"Hope! You lesten to me, young lady! There is no way to re-toute all those systems!"

Hope kept working.

"There are blocks on half the systems that Jeremie and I couldn't get around."

"Oh, yeah? Name one." Hope muttered, still not connecting the ELAS.

"For example," Aelita continued. "Theres a holomap subsystem that we believe could holographically transfer your image into lyoko. We can't even open the folder."

"Ok." Hope said, finding the program. She bypassed the security in seconds.

A small oval device decended from the ceilings. She picked it up and look it over. "Let's see. . ." She turned it over. "A lens." There was a button on the top. "On, right?" She pressed the button.

The device jumped into the air above her head. A bluish light fell from the lens, surrounding her. She could see lyoko in the light. She turned until she saw Aeliat. She stepped into her view and waved, smiling brightly, and very smugly.

Aelita's jaw dropped.

Hope's grin wided, and she disconnected the Holographic Virtual Projecter, or HVP as she called it, and when back to work. Aelita was silent.

Jeremie landed on the edge of a small platform, directly in front of the tower.

He stepped inside. The center platform was spinning. The two outer pathways seemed to be circling him.

"This could take a while." He muttered.

Hope reconnected the ELAS.

"Ok, Aelita." She wsaid. "Where can I find the RTM subsystem?"

Aelita didn't anser.

"Aelita? Are you ignoring me?"

Nothing.

"Aelita?" She ran a quick scan.

Aelita was not on lyoko.

"Looks like I'd better hurry." She said, rushing through programs. "Load program."

_Somewhere in the factory, a shadowy figure moved. It made it's way into the elevator wires._

The holomap flickered and switched it's view to Okoyl. Hope rerouted the ELAS to Okoyal and took the HVP. She scanned the region for Non-Okoylan lifeforems. Found, she pressed the on button for the HVP.

_The figure floated into the room and toward the girl. An energy barrier surrounded her suddenly, and it slammed into the barrier. It dissipated into a fine mist that evaporated into nothing._

_In the desert, a tower flickered back to blue._

"Its this working?" Hope asked alound. "Can you see or hear me?"

"We see you Hope." Yumi said, startled. "And hear you." She reached her hand out a few inches before jerking to a stop. "Are you really here?"

"No. But that isn't really important. I'm using a Holographic Projecter. I hooked up the supercalculator to Okoyl-"

"But Jeremie said that was impossible!" Sissi interupted.

"No he didn't." Hope said. "He said Okoyl was only parallel to Lyoko, not earth. So I just. . ."She paused to compose so that they would understand. ". . .set it to skip over Lyoko and into Okyol. But like I said, that isn't really important."

"You're telling us that the fact that you created an entirely new program for the supercalculator isn't important?" Yumi asked. "On that Jeremie couldn't?"

"I said it wasn't important, didn't I? While I was working, I turned the ELAS off."

"ELAS?"

"Earth-Lyoko Audio System. You turned off the two-way?" Yumi asked.

"Right. After a while, Aelita stopped trying to get me to turn it back on. When I finally did, she was gone."

"Gone?" Timiya asked. "What do you mean gone?"

"Just how it sounds. I ran a scan. She isn't on Lyoko or Okoyl."

"So she just disappeared?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know. That's why I came here. Where's Jeremie? I should tell him."

"He went to the tower." Milly said. "That way."

"Luck." Odd said.

"I'll need it." She muttered, running another quick scan. She turned the HVP on.

The world inside the tower was. . .strange. There was volcanic ash lining the path and through that was a stead train of lava, flowing from the volacno.

Jermei coughed on the smoke and when he looked up, a slightly distorted and transparent version of Hope was standing in front of him.

"Jeremie, listen to me!" She wsaid urgently. "This Tower World is interferringwith my stransmission."

"I must be hallucinating." He said, and touched his head.

"No." She said. "You aren't hallucinating. It's me, Hope. I'm using the HVP."

"You expect me to believe that a five year old child could bypass security that Aelita and I couldn't, _and_ create a program that we couldn't?"

"I did." The figure flickered. "I'm lo. . .sing. . .sta. . .illi. . .be ba. . .k." She winceked out of existence.

Hope took the HVP in her hands an d reprogrammed it. The light shone down.

"Sissi." Hope said. "I need your help."

"What?"

"Jermeie doesn't belive it. He thinks I'm a hullucination."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?'

"Duh, Sissi, you have telepathy. So come into my body and convince me!"

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes.

Sissi reached her hands to the Holographic temples.

_Sissi:_

_I opened my-Hope's eyes and waited for her knowledge to tell me what to do. I looked aoround, the HVP was still on, and I could see my abandoned body lying on the ground. Neeless to say, I dind't exactly like that. So I turned the HVP off, switched modes and turnedit back on._

"_Jeremie!" I said._

"_Oh, the hallucination is back." He said, still walking up hill._

"_This is Siis. I'm in Hope's body."_

"_Sure you are." He said._

"_What do you want me to do? Prove it? How?"_

_Jeremie didn't anser._

"_Jeremie you stubborn idiot, do you even _know_ why Hope's come to see you?"_

"_You're a hallucination brought on by inhaling too much smoke." _

_I almost screamed at him. But I had a better idea. I reached Hope's hands out to his temples and skipped into his head._

_Hope disconnected then._

_Jeremie started to panic, and I realiezed that skipping into the head of a guy who'd only recently recovered full control of his body was probably not a great idea._

Jeremie. _I said._ It's just me. It's just Sissi.

_But he wasn't listening to me. He was fighting with everything he hand, and I hadn't anticipated it. I had nowhere to go. My body was on the other end of the region and Hope was on another plae of reality, So I ended up pinned in a very tiny part of Jermie's mind, and I was very slowly being crushed to death._

Jeremie! Jermie, stop - ow! Stop that! You're crushing me!

Get out!

I can't! My body is over on the other side of the region. If you can just calm down. . .

Get out of my head!

Calm down, you dolt! It's only Sissi. I am NOT controlling you!

_I could almost feel him realizing that I was telling the truth._

Sissi?

Yes. _I said._ Yes, that's right. I'm not controlling you, but you wouldn't listen. Can you get me to my body?

Where?

On the other side of the region. But you have to listen to me. Aelita's missing.

Missing?

Missing. MIA. Gone. She disappeared. Not on Lyoko, Okoyl, or Earth.

Keep talking. Let's go.

_He began to run back toward the tower and I ket talking, filling him in on what was happening._

They sat in a circle on platform Caramela assured them was stable. Sissi's empty body slay in the center, ands at her sides, staring straight up into the sky.

"How long do you suppose this will take? Until they show up?" Odd asked.

Hope flickered into existence.

"Not long." She said. "According to my scans, Jeremie is on his way now, with Sissi in his mind."

"Is she insave!" Yumi exclaimed. "She has no idea how dangerous body skipping could be!"

"Oh, I think she has a fairly good idea." Hope said. "She, however, doesn't seem to care."

"Of all the times to-"

"Quiet." Timiya said. "I felt something."

"What?"

"Quiet." The platform trembled slightly, tiny crackes appearing.

Ulrich glared at Carameal. "I thought you said this rock was stable."

"It is! Or. . .it sohuld be!"

"Well then, what's happening!"

" have no idea." Caramela said tautly. "But I doubt it's a good thing."

Aelita swerved around the corner of the maze. There was something after her. A monster of some sort.

She turned and synthesized a wall to hold the moster. She knew it wouldn't last long, but she need time to think.

Maybe Inverting -alone- while carrying a baby, was a bad idea. She was in the Tower World. It was just like the labyrinth region outside, except for the creature.

She remembered something. A myth. An earth-myth Jeremie had mentioned once. A similar situration.

She put her hand out to the wall and an interface popped up. Begin search. She had to hurry.

The monsters footsteps came closer.


	18. Collection VI

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Excursions'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: Collection VI

By. Tate Icasa

Sissi noticed that Jeremie was _not_ heading toward the others.

_Jeremie? Where are you going?_

_Labyrinth region._

_Labyrinth region! Why?_

_Aelita's in trouble._

_But Hope said she wasn't here on Okoyl._

_She's not. She's in the Tower World. Tell the others to meet us there._

_You talk to Aelita first._

_You're the one with telepathy._

_I'm in your head. You can use my powers. Now call Aelita._

She sat back to watch.

Aelita rushed through Earth history, not finding anything. She heard the monster at her wall, and the let the interface go, running.

_Aelita._

_Jeremie?_

_I'm borrowing Sissi's power. Don't ask. How are you._

_I'm fine. . .Ok, not fine, persay._

_How can I help?_

_I'm in a maze. There's a monster chasing me. You said once. . .a myth?_

_A myth? Ok, Ok, A maze. A maze. . ._

_Hurry!_

_A maze. . ._

_Jeremie._ Sissi cut in. _Milly might know. She said she studied mythology._

_Ok. Aelita, I'll be back._

Aelita nodded.

_Milly?_

_Jeremie? Where are you?_

_On my way to the labyrinth region. Aelita's in danger in the tower world. She's in a maze, ebing persued by a monster. She mentioned a myth._

_A myth? A maze and a monster. . .Thesus and the Minotaur. Duh._

_What?_

_Long story short? Kind Mino sent Thesus into the labyrinth as a sacrifice to the minotaur. But Mino's daugher Ariadne fell in love with Thesus, so she helped him out of dthe labyrinth, gave him his sword, and he slayed the minotaur._

_Hurry and get here._

Aelita slammed into a wall when she swung around the corner.

"Ouch!" She quickly synthesized another wall. "I'm in so much trouble."

_Aelita, the others are on their way. I'll be there very soon._

_Ok, hurry!_

Jeremie saw the others.

_Sissi, are you ready to leave?_

_Whenever. Just go over and touch my temples._

Jeremie rushed over.

"Hey!" He called.

They stopped.

"I'm not staying." He said, as soon as he arrived. "Just putting Sissi back in her own body."

He touched Sissi's temples and she left. Her eyes oepned.

"I'm back." She said.

"Good." Jeremie turned and leapt into the air.

Aelita held her hands out and synthesized a sword. She had no where left to go.

It was long and sharp, with an icy hilt. The blade was made of stone, laced with desert sand and wook.

She held it up, nearly too heavy to hold, to defend herself against the beast.

The wall shuddered.

Jeremie stepped into the tower world.

"Aelita?"

"Help!" He leapt above the walls until he found her. The beast knocked her sword away like a stick.

Aelita was pressed against the wall, having no where else to go.

Jeremie shot down towards it, his staff ready, and drove it through the beast's skull. The beast thrashed around, apparently not dead.

Jeremie landed hear it. He sent a very large bolt of electricity down the staff and the beast lay still. He pulled the staff up and put it away.

"It's not dead." He said. "Only stunned." He stood next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She said. She smiled sheepishly. "A little scared. Like I've been incredibly stupid."

"You have." He said. He smiled. "But it's ok. No harm done."

"That's good to know. Let's get out of here. I don't trust that thing."

He nodded. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he leapt into the air above the labyrinth.

The others stepped in front of the tower.

"How dangerous do you suppose it is in there?" Sissi asked. She reached a hand out to touch it.

Odd caught her hand. "I don't know, and _you_ aren't going to find out."

The ground began to crack again.

"Uh-oh." Yumi said.

"Get ready." Caramela warned.

"For what?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know."

One by one, they popped out of existence.

Yumi blinked her eyes open. She was in the machine room of the factory. She looked at herself and realized that she was still in her lyoko form.

She glanced around.

The others where there too, all in their lyoko forms.

"What happened?" She asked.

Milly sat up and the others followed.

"Whoa!" Odd said. "How'd we get here?"

"Yeah." Timiya said. "Didn't Jeremie say Okoyl wasn't parallel to Earth?"

"He said that." Caramea said. "Apparently something changed."

"It's. . .possible. I suppose. . ."

"What does that mean?" Ulrich said.

"Okoyl could have Shifted dimensionally."

"In english, please."

"Okoyl is a separate plane from earth, opposite lyoko. So it could have shifted planes to a closer one."

"You call that english?" Odd asked.

"Ok, how uch do you know about dimensions?"

"There are three. We live in one, Aelita in another, you live in the thierd. Why?"

"Theory." Caramela said. "Dimentinal theory. How much do you know?"

"Um. . .nothing?"

"O-_kay_." Caramela said. "Theory dictates that all dimensions, or universes exist in the same place." She stopped. "This is only possible becasue all atoms in one universe vibrate on a certain sonic requencey and each universe vibrates at a different frequency."

"Ok." Sissi said.

"Lyoko's frequency is so close to earth's that they can be. . .played. . .in parmony. Okoyl's is that same type of closeness to Lyoko but not to Earth."

"That's why we can travel to Lyoko directly, but not to Okoyl." Yumi said. "If Okoyl has shifted. . .changed frequenceies, closer toe Earth. . ."

"That could be a definite advantage." Ulrich said.

"Wait." Odd said. "If Lyoko is that close to earth, why do we need the scanners to get there?"

"Maybe. . .originally, they were't close enough." Yumi suggested. "When we helped create the scanners, we started a shift ourselves."

"So why don't we just go back to Lyoko and Okoyl?"

"How?"

"If this is anything like Inverting," Caramela said. "You just concentrate."

"We might as well try."

One by one they closed their eyes and concentrated.

Jeremie landed just outside the wall.

"Are you _sure_ you want to go in?

She glanced back at the labyrinth. "I'm sure."

"Alright." He said, and they stepped into the wall.

Yumi felt a strange chill spread from her head to her feet. After it had passed, she sat for a while in silence. Then she opened her eyes. She was not on Earth.

The world was black and white. Literally. Perfect darkness swirled around perfect light, and for some reason it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

No, she wasn't on earth. But she wasn't on Lyoko or Okoyl either.

Jeremie touched the interface. Within moments the program disappeared. He turned to go back to the wall, but Aelita ggrabbed his shoulder.

"Do we have to go back out there?" She asked. "With that beast?"

"That thing's go you really freaked out, doesn't it?" He asked. Before she could answer, he smiled. "If you don't think it'll hurt the baby, you can Invert us."

"Thanks, Jeremie." She said. She took his hands and closed her eyes.

Hope glanced up from her work when the supercalculator began to beep. A problem.

Everyone wbut Jeremie and Aelita were missing. And there was a tower activated in the desert.

She switched the ELAS on and put on the headset. She fingered the HVP for a moment before turning that on.

"Jeremie, Aelita, we have a problem." She began.

_A ghostly form floated nearby, wary of the energy barrier. It wasn't on a timer, not really anway. Xana had all the time in the word. . ._


	19. The Completed Collection

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'Collection VI'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: The Completed Collection

By. Tate Icasa

Yumi slowly became aware of the others, also floating in that strange place.

_Hello?_ She thought, hoping Sissi would be reading her mind.

Surprisingly, she got a chorus of 'hello's' in return.

_Where _are_ we?_ Timiya asked.

_No-space._ Caramela answered.

_What?_

_Where?_

_No-space._ Caramela repeated._ A place between all places in all universes. From here I suspect we could travfel anywhere in any universe._

_You're saying we could. . .what? _Odd asked.

_Instantanious travel._ Yumi said. _Let's try to leave._

_Where to?_

_How about the elevator?_

_Ok. Go. _Yumi closed her eyes and opened them in the elevator, surrounded by everyone else.

"It worked." Timiya said in awe.

"Yeah. Let's go up to Hope."

Odd moved to presse the buton.

"No." Yumi said. "I meant through No-space."

They nodded, and skipped out of the universe and back in seconds.

_The ghostly fingue watched as seven people appeared from thin air. The Enemy had discovered the Place-Between. Master Xana would have to be warned._

_It could take one of the Enemies, but it was sorely outnumbered. It decided to retreate back to There._

_It turned and drifted into the Filter, back through the Circuits to Master Xana._

_The Eye of the Master floated in front of it. The Eye beckoned it forward._

_SPEAK._

_I come to warn the Master Xana._

_YOU MAY CONTINUE._

_The Enemy has discovered the Place-Between, Master._

_THIS IS KNOWN. YOUR MISSION IS CHANGED._

_It listened as Master Xana gave it new priorities._

Hope disconnected the HVP and turned around the see the others standing there in their Lyoko forms.

"Um. . .what happened?"

"We're not quite sure." Ulrich said.

"We think Okoyl has shifted." Yumi said. "And we broke into No-space."

"But that means. . .you -how -that's not possible!"

"Apparently it is." Yumi said. "It shouldn't be. But it is."

"No." Hope said. "You don't understand. I've studied the Multi-verse!"

"The what?"

"The Multi-verse. The collection of universes. What you say has happened _can_ only happen under one condition."

"What condition?"

"The threads of this universe are coming unraveled. Soon this universe will cease to exist. And if the Xana program has not been shut down, this destruction will spread."

"Then we have to hurry." Odd said. "There are two program towers left, right?"

Hope nodded. "Caramela, can you get us the Castle program."

"I can."

"Then go. Hope, the volcanoes?"

"I'm on it."

"Jeremie and Aelita can sit this one out." Odd said. "Ulrich, Yumi, and Timiya, go the Castle with Caramela. Sissi, Milly and I will go with Hope."

"Let's go." Hope said.

One at a time they closed their eyes and skipped.

Aelita lay on the ground, asleep, her beautiful son culed up in the crook of her arm, when Jeremie returned from the deser. He was, or course, surprised at the site of the baby. It had light orangish hair and pale skin.

"Aelita?"

She blinked awake and sat up, cradling the baby into her arms. "Hi, Jeremie." She said, smiling. "This is Talin." At the name, the baby woke up.

"Aelita?" Jeremie asked.

"Talin was born when you were away." She explained.

"I knew _that._" Jeremie said. He sighed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." She said. "Are you ready?" He motioned to the tower.

She nodded. He helped her up and they entered the tower.

Ulrich, Yumi, Timiya, and Caramela appared outside the Castel Program Tower.

"Ok." Yumi said. "Who goes and who stays?"

"Timiya and I'll go." Caramela said. "You two stay out here." She turned to Timiya. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

They stepped into the tower.

Odd, Sissi, Milly and Hope appeared outside the Volcano Program Tower.

Hope turned to enter the tower, and Milly stopped her.

"You can't go alone."

Hope turned, raising her eyebrow. "Are you volunteering?" She asked.

Milly swallowed. "Sure." She put her hands on the tower wall. "Let's go find out what's in there."

"Go ahead." Jeremie said, pushing Aelita and Talin toward the center of the platform.

"We'll e right back." She said. She stepped onto the center ring.

Timiya looked around. The Tower World looked exactly like the outside.

"Where's the program?" She asked Caramela.

"If it's anything like the outside world, in the Throne Room."

"Where's that?"

"This way." Caramela said, turning into a hallway.

Milly choked on the ash-laced volcanic smoke.

"Let's find that program." Hope said.

"Maybe it's over there." Milly said, pointing to a shimmering thing in the distance.

"That's as good a starting place as any." Hope said.

They started to walk.

Aelita and Talin floated u to the second platform. Aelita took Talin's hand and placed it on the interface.

TALIN.

Caramela put her hands on the gelatin wall, and pressed her hands into it. She glanced behind her at Timiya.

"Stay here."

She stepped into the wall.

"Stay here?" Timiya repeated. "You can't tell me what to do." She stepped into the wall after Caramela.

Milly and Hope reached the shimmering thing which turned out to be a gelatin wall.

They stumbled into it, coughing.

CODE

The screen popped up, and Aelita entered the code.

LYOKO

The data screens fell to the bottom of the tower. Aelita felt the two platforms merge and she stepped off, to stand next to Jeremie.

"There." She nearly collapsed.

"Aelita, what's wrong?" Jeremie asked.

"Nothing." She said weakly.

"I don't think that's nothing." He said. He led her onto the platform and turned on the interface to run a diagnostic. When the interface closed, Aelita was holding two babies. A boy and a girl, both orange haired and pale skinned.

"Twins?" Aelita asked.

"What're you going to call the other one?" Jeremie asked.

"Kalin." Aelita said after a moment.

Caramela didin't look up from the interface when Timiya came through the wall.

"I told you to stay outside." She said.

"I know."

The program disappeared."

"To Earth?" Timiya asked.

"To Earth." They closed thier eyes.

Hope touched the interface.

Milly leaned against a wall.

"So, after this, then waht?" She asked.

Hope muttered something.

"Ok, I'll leave you alone."

Hope closed the interface as the program disappeared.

"Now, then, let's go to Earth."

They closed their eyes and skipped.

Jeremie and Aelita stepped outside the tower, each holding one of the twins.

"Jeremie, Aelita." Timiya said, appearing holographically in front of them. She froze for a second upon seeing the twins.

"Hello, Timiya." Aelita said. "This is Talin." She held him up, and motioning to the other, "And that's Kalin."

"Hi." Timiya said. Then she picked up a glittering disc. "We've got all of the program. "She said. "What now?"

"Put it into the supercalculator. We can access it from here." Jeremie said.

"Correction."Aelita said, handing Talin to Jeremie. "_I_ can access it from here. _You_ are staying out here with the children."

She stepped back into the tower.

Jeremie stared after her, then back at the sleeping twins.

Timiya's imaged blinked out.

Yumi, Ulrich, Sissi and Odd blinked as they apppeared in front of Jeremie, who was trying not to murder Aelit'as children.

Talin was crying for reason, and Kalin was climbing up his head.

For a while, no one spoke, then Odd grinned.

"You're not into the whole babysitting thing, are you Jeremie?"

"_Odd_." Jeremie warned, prying Kalin from his head.

Talin started to cry again and Jeremie looked at Sissi. "Could I have some _help_ here?" He asked.

"Oh, sure." She said, taking the baby fron him. "Come on now, baby, come see Auntie Sissi." She said. She balanced Talin on one arm, and took Kalin in the other, and began to rock side to side, humming lullabyes.

The babies yawned and stretched, squirming a bit before falling asleep.

Jeremie sighed in relief.

Just then , the ground rolled under them, and Aelita stepped out of the tower.

"Lyoko and Okoyl are autonomous from Xana."

"Did you hear that?" Yumi called to Milly, Timiya, Hope and Caramela. "We can disconnect Xana now."

"We heard," Milly said. "Why don't you come here? You deserve it."

"I can't." Jeremie said. "I can't survive on Earth."

"And I don't want to hurt the twins." Aelita said. "But you four can go."

So, they did.

Yumi put her hand on the Xana Power Switch. Ulrich put his over hers. Then Odd, Sissi, Milly, Timiya, Hope, and Caramela.

They pulled together and Xana powered down.

"Now." Yumi said. "All we have to do to save the Multi-vers, is disconnect the scanners and supercalculator."

"Yeah." Odd said. "Just one problem. Isn't this universe going to end?"

"Um. . .yeah. . " Yumi said. She frowned. "We can always travel through No-space to escape. We can try to bring others with us. We can save people."

"Let's." Milly said. "Timiya, start on the doors, and teachers. Everybody else, your parents, then help. I'll get Jeremie's parents and join you."

Nobody moved.

"You heard her." Yumi said. "Go, we don't have enough time to argue."

They went.

Yumi stayed a minute to shut down the supercalculator and scanners, and filled Jeremie and Aelita in.


	20. A World Without Danger

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or any of the original characters.

Authors Note1: This story was written before the second season and is based entirely off the first season.

Authors Note2: This story takes place immediately after 'The Completed Collection'

Key: Scene change

Code Lyoko: A World Without Danger

By. Tate Icasa

Yumi appeared in the living room of her house, while her parents were watching television. She appeared behind them a nd stood for a minute.

Then she tilted her head and smiled.

"Hey." She said.

Her parents turned quickly.

"Who are you?" Her father asked.

"How'd you get in here?" Her mother asked.

"Mom, dad, it's me, Yumi." She said. She chose not to answer the second question.

"Ridiculous," Her father said. "Yumi has been missing for two years, and would be sixteen. You must be at least twenty."

Yumi let her hear down. "That's the problem with time travel." She said. She could tell they didn't believe her. She sighed. "When I was four yers old, I heard a dog howl at night and for a week I was convinced there was apck of wolves living in the backyard."

"Yumi?" Her mother asked. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it is!" She said. "Listen. The universe is coming to an end-"

"Now, I'm sure that isn't true. Besides, what do you know of the universe?"

"I've been to two others. And the Intermediary, which is called No-space. The only reason we can enter No-space is _if_ the universe was coming to an end. That makes instantanious travel possible."

"Yumi. . ." Her father warned.

"I'm telling you the truth!" She said. She closed her eyes and skipped through No-space.

"Wow." Her father said. "Still, I doubt you've been to any other universes."

"I'll show you." offered. She took her parents hands and skipped into No-space.

_Where are we?_ Her father thought.

_Welcome to No-space. Now that I have time to explain everything, are you ready to listen?_

Odd appeared at his kitchen table in the middle of dinner.

"Oh boy, pizza!" He said, grabbing a slice.

His mother started to scream, and his father dropped his slice of pizza.

Odd chewed his pizza calmly and waited for his mother to calm down. Once she had, he smiled. "I've missed pizza."

"Am I hallucination?" His mother whispered to his father.

"I don't hink so." His father asnwered. "Odd?"

"The one and only." Odd said grinning. "Come on, we have to go."

"Go? Go where?" His mother asked.

"Lyoko." Odd said. He set the pizza down and looked at it wistfully. "I'm really going to miss pizza." He skipped them into No-space, met up with Yumi and they brought the parents to Lyoko.

The parents looked around. There were crabs everywhere. Nearly twenty of them.

"Quickly." Yumi said. "Go get in the tower. We can take care of them."

"Are you insane, Yumi?" Her father asked. "You can't fight those things!"

"We've fought more than this before." Odd said. "Ready, Yumi?"

"Ready."

They leapt in opposite directions, twoard crabbs.

"Laser Arrow!" Odd shouted, leaping off the front of the crab. "So," He said casually, backflipping out of the path of a laser. "Where do you suppose Jeremie and Aelita are?"

"In the tower with the twins." Yumi said, tossing her fan. It destroyed two crabs. "I thought we shut Xana down."

"Last ditch effort?" Odd suggested. "Xana created a tone somewhere?"

"I hope not." Yumi said, tossing her fan so it intercepted a laser than would have his Odd.

"Thanks."

She nodded and turned to face another crab.

Sissi appeared in her fathers office. Fortunately, he was alone.

"Hello, dady." She said. "Did you miss me?"

"Sissi?" He said, rising. "How did-? Where have-?"

"Oh, I've been out saving the world. But we kinda failed."

"What?"

"The universe is coming to an end daddy. We're evacuating what we can, but it won't really be enough. We have to go."

"To where?" He asked, still unsure whether to believe her.

"To another universe. A place called Lyoko." She said. "I'll show you."

She took his hands and skipped through No-space.

Milly appeared outside the house and knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a blond woman.

"Oh, hello Milly." She said. "Please, come in."

"Thanks Mrs. Belpois. Is your husband home?"

"Yes. Of course he is."

"I'd call him if I were you. He'll want to hear this."

"Why?" She asked. "Did you find something?"

Milly nodded.

"I'll go get him." The woman hurried away, and came back with her husband.

"I can take you to Jeremie." Milly said.

"Really?" Mrs. Belpois asked. "You found him?"

"Yes."

"Where is he."

"In another, parallel universe."

Mr. Belpois frowned. "Multiple universes are only theory."

"I'll show you 'theory'. . ." She grabbed their shouldhers and skipped through to Lyoko.

Milly, Sissi, and the parents appeared in the middle of the battle.

"Oh!" Milly gasped. "Bad timeing." She glanced back at the parents, who looked absolutely shocked.

"Stay here. Sissi?"

"I know." She jumped away from a laser, ppulling her whip out. _Everyone, when I say, close your eyes._

Milly produced a grenade and tossed it into the air.

_Now!_

The granade exploded, blinding the crabs.

_Ok, you can open your eyes again._

She leapt into battle, sending a quick warning message to Timiya.

Timiya dropped a third load of students and teachers in the swamp.

She popped back to Earth just as the ground shook. Students began to should.

"It's only an earthquake! It's not the end of the world!"

"Actually, Jim, it is." She said. "Everyone who wants to live, come join hands!"

"Why?" Someone asked.

"Because I say it'll save your lives and you really don't have anything but that to lose!"

They complied and she transported them.

Ulrich and his parents appeared in the middle of the battle. Ulrich glanced around.

"Ulrich! Help!"

He spun at Yumi's voice.

One of her hegs was frozen to the ground and there was a hornet hovering above her.

"Yumi!" He rushed over, hurling himself in front of the laser, and shoving his saber into the crab. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just a little stuck."

He began slashing at the ice, occasionally destroying a hornet or crab that came too close.

Jeremie glanced at the tower wall.

"Do you suppose it's time to end the fight?" He asked.

She nodded.

He channeled the electricity into his hands and stepped out of the tower.

"STOP!" He shouted. Everyone froze and turned to look at him, even the crabs. Lightning came down from the heavens and destroyed all the Monsters. "That's better." He knocked on the tower. "You can come out now."

No one spoke as Aelita came out of the tower, cradlin gthe twins in her arms. He led her to his parents.

Everyone broke into their own conversations with each's respected parents.

"Mom, Dad." Jeremie said. He turned to Aelita. "Aelita, these are my parent's. Mom, dad, this is Aelita, and our children Talin and Kalin." He took the sleeping Talin out of her arms. "Our universe is gone by now." He sighed. "I can take you to the village if you'd like. You can build a home there."

"Jeremie you can take the time frome you '_busy_' schedule to explain this to su!"

"No." He said. "I can't. I have to end tis war. I'll explain later. Sorry." He handed Talin back to Aelita and ran back to the tower.

"Jeremie! Where-!" She called. She looked apologetically at his parents and took of after him.

Jeremie exited the tower in the forest.

Aelita rushed after him.

"Jeremie, what are you doing!"

"I'm finishing this."

"But we won. We shut Xana off. You destroyed his last attack."

"No. Very carefully, and long ago. . .he must have see it coming. He put something in the lightning, and entity with part of his consiousness, I can feel it. I have to get rid of it." He walked a few feet away.

The lighning flowed through is veins as blood, spilling out of him in a final burst of light. Aelita turned away. When she turned back, he was standing, facind her. He took Talin in one arm and wrapped the other around Aelita.

She rested her head on his shoulder.

"There." He said. "It's finally over."

Young Kalin smiled in her sleep.

End


End file.
